Tenova has started up the first Consteel® EAF of South America at the new plant of Vallourec & Sumitomo Tubos do Brasil. A few days after the start up, Tenova attended the official inauguration of the new Brazilian seamless pipe steelwork plant with a ceremony hosted by the officials of Vallourec and Sumitomo and attended by Ms Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil, two Ministers and the Governor of the State of Minas Gerais.

The BRL 5 billion investment will produce over 1 million tonnes of steel annually and 600,000 tonnes of seamless pipe products. Ms Rousseff affirmed that the VSB project marked the resumption of investment strategy in the steel sector with the most technological advanced steel plant and pipe mill of the world.

VSB committed to an environmentally friendly concept by selecting a blast furnace technology that can use both coke and charcoal, which is considered a renewable source of energy. Tenova played a key role in the green concept of the VSB plant by providing the 140 tonnes capacity Consteel® EAF, an equipment system that optimizes energy consumption and assures a low level of noise emissions and pollutants.

Tenova also supplied the dedusting system and other ancillary equipment of the melt shop. In the rolling mill section Tenova LOI Italimpianti provided the rotary hearth furnaces and the shell furnaces. Tenova LOI Italimpianti also provided two walking beam furnaces for tempering as well as one 100 tonnes per hour walking beam furnace for hardening for the plant heat treatment facilities. All furnaces are providing the best available technologies in terms of product quality output and environmental emissions.

The Tenova equipment was started up on time and successfully.