A critical milestone in the build of Xusteel’s new blast furnace was achieved in early April.

A 400-tonne crane lifted the first whole-block ring of shells into place.

Construction of the blast furnace is Xusteel’s Phase III project. CISDI is carrying out on an EPC basis and managed to revive the project which had stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and push on.

Construction is now sprinting towards set targets. The closing of the furnace’s hot stove dome will have been achieved by the end of April and the closure of the furnace top is on-schedule for May.

These milestone dates will ensure start-up occurs on-schedule in November 2020.

Part of Xusteel’s restructuring and upgrading project, the energy-efficient blast furnace is designed to run stably and have a long service life. Its targeted volume is 2,120 cubic metres and its annual output will reach 1.80 million tonnes.

Xusteel Group, a thriving private enterprise in China’s Jiangsu Province, focusses on steel, real estate, coking and international trade.

Its Phase III steel project will boost product quality, intelligent management and equipment levels and result in cleaner production.

The giant crane lifts the blast furnace shells at Xusteel