On September 21st, 2016, the open meeting on performance of the Memorandum signed on June 9th, 2016 between the city authorities and the industrial enterprises of city Zaporozhye has taken place in the Zaporozhye city council, in which representatives of city authorities, industrial enterprises, city community, and mass media have taken part. Rostislav Shurma, the General Director of the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works has informed participants of the meeting about fulfilment by the enterprise of action items of the Memorandum, directed on improvement of ecological situation in the region.
In particular, out of 13 obligations of the Memorandum undertaken by the Steel Works, 10 action items are fulfilled in full, two will be executed till the end of the year, and reconstruction of the Blast furnace No. 3 has already started and will be accomplished in 2017, according to the specified terms.
Rostislav Shurma has acquainted participants of the meeting with basic ecological actions executed at the Steel Works for the last four years. The General Director of the PJSC “Zaporizhstal” has apprised participants of the meeting that “from 2012 up to 2016 the Steel Works has invested 5,6 milliard hryvnyas in ecological upgrading of production operation, that has allowed to reduce emissions into atmosphere. The most important investment project for the Steel Works is construction of oxygen-converter shop instead of out-of-date open-hearth furnace plant. The total amount of investments into the project composes over 1,3 milliard dollars”.
The General Director of the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works has underlined during the report that all means which the industrial complex earns since 2012, are completely reinvested into ecological upgrading of the production operation. The main projects of ecological upgrading of the Steel Works during this period are: new sintering machine No. 1 with highly effective gas purification, construction of gas purifications at sintering machines No. 2-6, large-scale modernization of the Blast furnace No. 4 with installation of aspiration system at casting yard and stock house trestle bridge, capital repair of the Blast furnace No 2 with construction of new aspiration system at casting yard, building of new pickling line in the Cold Rolling Shop No. 1 (CPL-4).
Presently the Steel Works conducts preparatory works for construction of oxygen-converter shop, having invested in the project more than 300 million hryvnyas of own means. The construction of the converter plant will allow the Steel Works to refuse completely from out-of-date open-hearth process of production and essentially to lower technogenic loading on environment. The expected decrease of atmospheric emissions will achieve level of 25 % from total emissions of the Steel Works.
Rostislav Shurma has stopped in detail on project of sintering plant ecological upgrading. He has stated, «In the near future we will finish installation of gas purification systems on sintering machines No. 2-6. For your information, today each sintering machine is equipped by inspection sensors of emission control, which in online mode show us operating efficiency of gas purification equipment».
Rostislav Shurma has informed that parameters of each gas purification performance is necessary to combine into one integrated computerized system of production management, which will allow to monitor the operation of gas purification equipment in online mode: “As soon as we finish the project on sintering plant and the whole system of automatic production control is connected into unified program sequence, we will be able to display these parameters for public access”.
Following the results of the meeting Vladimir Buryak, the Mayor of Zaporozhye gave a task to create a working group at the City Council, consisting of environmental professionals, representatives of the city community and representatives of industrial enterprises. Afterwards the Mayor has suggested representatives of the city community to move from the conference hall to industrial sites of the plants to be convinced personally, of how the actions are realized in practice. Rostislav Shurma sustained the initiative of the Chief of city administration, and suggested to visit “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works. However, representatives of the public have refused from visiting the Steel Works, having assured attendees that the data about fulfilment by the Steel Works of the undertaken ecological obligations are highly reliable. Rostislav Shurma has underlined that the “Zaporizhstal” Steel Works is ready at any moment to receive representatives of the public and to answer openly to all questions on ecological upgrading of the enterprise.