NLMK’s Stoilensky plant will increase its capacity by 2.2 million tonnes/year of iron ore concentrate to 17.2m t/y by 2017. The Russian steelmaker is investing approximately $50 million for implementing high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) at Stoilensky.

HPGR are being installed to complement the existing cone crushers and ball grinders. The increase in captive low cost material will feed the forthcoming 6m t/y pelletising plant scheduled for launch in 2016.

Separately, NLMK Group generated over RUB 1.2 billion ($23.2 million) in savings in 2014 through the optimisation of energy resource purchasing, as well as through projects to increase the efficiency of resource use and energy equipment.

NLMK Group’s large-scale energy projects included the launch of a new turbo generator with a capacity of 50MW, and an air separation unit at the Lipetsk site. These projects drove energy self-sufficiency at Lipetsk from 52% to 54%. VIZ-Steel has also begun start-up activities at its natural gas vapour reforming facility for the production of hydrogen.

The group plans to install pulverised coal injection technologies at blast furnaces No.6 and No.7 at the Lipetsk site, to modernise bell-type furnaces at NLMK’s rolling operations. It also intends to launch commercial operations at VIZ-Steel’s air separation units, Alexander Starchenko, NLMK Group Vice President for Energy, says in a statement seen by Kallanish.