ArcelorMittal Galati has invested over EUR 7 million in upgrading a set of turbine blowers, aiming to reduce energy consumption at the company's blast furnace no. 5. The turbine fans inject cold air into the blast furnaces, being essential in the technological process.

Following this investment, the company halved the steam consumption, according to a statement of ArcelorMittal. The new turbine blowers use only 32 - 40 tons of steam per hour, compared with 70 tons before the modernization. The company can now use the remaining steam to produce electricity for its other operations.

“We have an extended programme of increasing the energy efficiency of our company, and this new investment is part of it. It allows us to make immediate and long-term savings in energy consumption”, said Bruno Ribo, chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal Galati.

The investment is part of ArcelorMittal Europe’s ‘Energize’ Project aimed at reducing energy consumption by 15% over the next five years.

Over the past 10 years, ArcelorMittal Galati has invested some EUR 800 million in upgrading its technology, modernizing the production facilities and replacing obsolete equipment.

Steel and mining company ArcelorMittal is present in 60 countries. In 2014, the company registered a turnover of USD 79.3 billion.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com