BlueScope Steel is undertaking Australia's largest steelmaking project, relining a dormant blast furnace at its Port Kembla steelworks. The $1.15 billion investment aims to extend the life of the facility for another two decades.
BlueScope Steel is undertaking Australia's largest steelmaking project, relining a dormant blast furnace at its Port Kembla steelworks. The $1.15 billion investment, the company's biggest ever, aims to extend the life of the facility for another two decades. This massive three-year project involves bringing BlueScope Steel's number six blast furnace back online as its number five furnace reaches the end of its operational lifespan.
While the steel industry globally is exploring low-emissions steelmaking alternatives, BlueScope argues that green steel production is not yet viable for maintaining its 3 million tonne annual steel output. Despite this, the company emphasizes its commitment to the future of Australian steel manufacturing through this significant investment. 'This reline does secure the future of the Port Kembla Steelworks for the next 20 years,' said Justin Reed, director of the Blast Furnace Reline Project. The Port Kembla steelworks, a cornerstone of the NSW Illawarra region's industrial landscape, boasts a history of blast furnace steelmaking dating back to 1928. Blast furnaces, crucial for steel production, combine iron ore and metallurgical coal at high temperatures to create molten iron, the raw material for steel. Over time, the furnace's internal brick lining and water-cooling system deteriorate, necessitating replacement. This reline project differentiates itself from previous undertakings through the use of a specialized crane. 'This crane is amazing. It is definitely changing the way we go about this project,' explained Mr. Reed. 'It has a huge reach, so the driver's cabin is about 86 metres above the ground. The boom itself is 95 metres of reach.' The project relies on both internal expertise and international collaboration. While BlueScope has drawn upon its own steelmaking knowledge, it has also sought support from experts in other steelmaking nations. 'There are some technical experts that we do need some help from overseas, some of the particular items in a blast furnace are designed in Europe,' Mr. Reed stated.Despite the inherent similarity to traditional steelmaking processes, the project incorporates significant technological advancements. Notably, the refurbished furnace will feature a top gas recovery system, converting exhausted gas into energy. This marks the first time a waste gas heat recovery system will be integrated into the furnace, reusing heat generated during the steelmaking process. 'We will offset a lot of the fuel that we would otherwise need to be added into our processes,' explained Rosa Tran, BlueScope Steel's waste gas recovery engineer. The company acknowledges criticism regarding the project's reliance on coal but maintains its commitment to exploring low-emission steelmaking options. BlueScope asserts that the blast furnace can be adapted to utilize green fuel sources like hydrogen in the future. 'This project needs to be completed to ensure the Port Kembla steelworks continues to operate through the time that our company and other companies investigate the future iron-making sources.
STEELMAKING AUSTRALIA BLUE SCOPE STEEL PORT KEMBLA BLAST FURNACE LOW EMISSIONS STEEL GREEN STEEL ENERGY RECOVERY COAL HYDROGEN
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