Mechel announced that Southern Urals Nickel Plant OAO launched an experimental industrial complex to produce ferronickel.
Orenburg Region's Governor Mr Yuri Berg, State Dum? Deputy mr Viktor Zavarzin, the city of Orsk's Administration Chief Mr Viktor Franz, Mechel OAO's Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr Igor Zyuzin, Oriel Resources Ltd.'s Chief Executive Officer Mr Alexei Ivanushkin, Mechel-Ferroalloys Management Company's Chief Executive Officer Mr Gennady Ovchinnikov and Southern Urals Nickel Plant's Managing Director Mr Mikhail Mazhukin attended the launch ceremony for the industrial complex, which will produce ferronickel by electric smelting.
The complex's launch is part of the reconstruction of the plant's smelting facilities, aimed at increasing production efficiency, lowering production costs and dramatically reducing the volume of waste released into the atmosphere. The new technology will also allow the plant to significantly decrease operating costs by excluding several expensive components from the technological cycle.
The 12 MW complex's annual production capacity is some 4,500 tonnes of ferronickel, with an average 20% nickel content.
The 12 MW smelting complex was designed by Bateman Engineering BV of South Africa based on state of the art technical developments employed for the ferroalloy industry and environment protection. In developing this project, Bateman Engineering BV used an integrated approach, which made possible a combination of lower production costs with higher metal extraction levels and improved equipment endurance and reliability.
The experimental industrial 12 MW complex's total cost amounted to RUB 1.3 billion.
Mr Igor Zyuzin chairman of Mechel said “Launching this unique industrial complex for ferronickel production, with its 12-MW electric furnace, which will be used to master the technology and train our personnel, marks the beginning of the plant's sweeping modernization. The development strategy implemented by the plant is due to ensure not only the present, but also the future for South Urals Nickel Plant and dramatically improve the facility's economical and ecological parameters.”
