Stoilensky produces its 10-millionth tonne of pellets

Stoilensky, part of NLMK Group, an international steelmaking company, has produced its ten-millionth tonne of pellets at its pelletizing plant, one of the largest in Europe.

Launched in November 2016, the pelletizing plant was able to reach design capacity of 6 million tonnes of pellets per year in 6 months and continues to go from strength to strength. In 2018, the plant plans to produce 6.4 million tonnes of pellets for use in blast furnace operations at NLMK Lipetsk.

Sergey Napolskikh, Stoilensky General Director, said:

“10 million tonnes is an important symbolic milestone that serves as testimony to the fact that the plant is running smoothly, successfully addressing its challenges. We plan to further expand the productivity of the induration machine in order to achieve an output of 7.2 million tonnes and guarantee NLMK Group’s control over raw material costs in the long term.”

Stoilensky’s pelletizing plant, NLMK Group’s largest investment project, was executed in two years. Construction of the plant began in 2014 and was completed in November 2016. It required a total investment of around $680 million (34 billion rubles).

The most advanced technology and equipment was used during the design phase. The largest horizontal grate induration furnace in Europe ensures the plant’s high performance at 780 tonnes of pellets produced per hour. The Stoilensky pelletizing plant is the first in the Russian metals and mining industry to use high-efficiency hyperbaric filters to remove fluid during the processing of ore.

The concept behind the design of the pelletizing plant is that of an environmentally friendly, waste-free facility, in which waste charge material and captured dust are fully recycled. A high efficiency dedusting system captures up to 98% of emissions.

The launch of the pelletizer that is of strategic importance for NLMK Group enabled the Company to consolidate its position as one of the most efficient steelmakers in the world.