ArcelorMittal Poland's coke plant in Zdzieszowice continues modernization works worth PLN 165 million. The newly built 90-metre-long chimney, which replaced the twice as high chimney, which has been in use since the 1970s, has already been connected to new flue gas ducts from three boilers of the CHP plant. The construction of an installation for the reduction of nitrogen oxides in flue gases for each of the boilers of the CHP plant powered by purified coke oven gas has also begun. The plant still has to modernize all three boilers and demolish the old chimney. All works are expected to be completed by 2026. This is important not only for the company, but also for the residents, because the ArcelorMittal Poland CHP plant supplies the municipal network supplying heat to apartments in Zdzieszowice.
The preparation of design works preceding the demolition of the old chimney began last year. These extremely demanding and complex activities, in which not only coke plant employees but also external companies are involved, began in March and will last until the summer holidays. More than a dozen people are currently working on the demolition work.
Meanwhile, the construction of a nitrogen oxide reduction system for each of the three boilers is underway. The first connection is to be commissioned by the end of October 2024, and the entire connection is to be completed in the winter of 2025. – This installation, using modern technology of catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides, will allow us to reduce emissions of this substance by as much as three times – emphasizes Czesław Sikorski, Vice-President of the Management Board of ArcelorMittal Poland and Managing Director for Coke Production. "But that's not all. The modernization of three boilers of the CHP plant is also underway – the first of them will be commissioned in November – he points out.
Modernization works at the CHP plant are only a part of the investment program at the Zdzieszowice coke plant. The plant has also started the reconstruction of the coke oven gas expansion tank, whose main task is to stabilize the pressure of this gas in the internal network of the coke plant. " The implementation of this project will significantly increase the safety of the process itself and external gas customers. The 30,000 m³ tank will replace the facility currently in operation. We are planning to complete the works next year," explains Konrad Zarzycki, director of the Zdzieszowice coke plant.
The value of all projects currently being carried out at the coke plant in Zdzieszowice is PLN 165 million. 25 different external companies work on them on the site. All works are scheduled to be completed in 2026.
"The decarbonisation of the steel industry is a major challenge for EU producers, including our company. Ultimately, ArcelorMittal Poland wants to be climate neutral by 2050, but until that happens, we are modernizing our installations to reduce the environmental impact of our production processes" explains Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland. "Before we implement new technologies, we will still need coke for blast furnaces, which is why we are paying so much attention to reducing emissions from the coking plant in Zdzieszowice" he adds.
