ArcelorMittal Zenica Inaugurates Combined Heat & Power Plant
Strategic Research Institute
Published on :
25 Mar, 2022, 5:22 am
A new combined heating and power plant has been inaugurated in Zenica in Bosnia & Herzegovina cutting sulphur dioxide and dust emissions from ArcelorMittal Zenica by 80%. The power plant, which has been operating since the end of November 2021, provides district heating to the town, using a reliable and more environmentally sustainable supply of energy. The power plant was built by Toplana Zenica, a joint venture between ArcelorMittal Zenica 50%, the City of Zenica 20% and KPA Unicon & FinnFund 15% each. The total value of the project is EUR 53 million, of which EUR 41 million is a loan provided by EBRD, and the loan is secured by a guarantee provided by the ArcelorMittal Group. The balance of EUR 12 million is provided through a direct investment of the partner in the joint venture. The plant’s new steam generators operate using coke oven gas and blast furnace waste gases from ArcelorMittal Zenica but can also operate using natural gas if necessary. Previously, the waste gases from the steel plant in Zenica were either flared or not fully re-used. The steam generated at the plant is also being used by ArcelorMittal Zenica, while air is supplied for the operation of the blast furnace.
With the new plant operational, the use of 150,000 tonnes of coal a year has been eliminated, not only cutting sulphur dioxide emissions by 80% but also cutting 18% of ArcelorMittal Zenica’s total CO2 emissions. ArcelorMittal Zenica inherited the old, coal-fired power plant from its predecessor; it continued to run the old boilers in order to provide district heating to Zenica residents, but emissions from the use of coal to fire the boilers have to date, been the largest source of SO2 emissions from the steel plant.
ArcelorMittal Zenica has completed a number of major environmental investments at the plant in recent years. In 2017, it became the first steel plant in the world to have industrial-scale hybrid filtration technology installed in its sinter plant. And in September 2020, the company announced the successful installation of a second hybrid filter in the sinter plant, cutting dust emissions from sinter machine no. 6 below 10 mg/Nm3, a level which is well within European Union standards as well as being far below the 50mg/Nm3 legal limit in Bosnia & Herzegovina. A secondary dedusting system was also installed in the BOF steel plant.