Turning a slag dump into a renewable energy park

LIBERTY Galați’s transformation continues.

The stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore is called slag. LIBERTY Galați produces about half a million tonnes of blast furnace slag a year and over the past 40 years, this has been stored in a dump on the LIBERTY Galați site.

The Romanian authorities have issued LIBERTY Galați the environmental permit it needs to close its slag dump, while protecting the local Mălina watercourse which runs alongside. The business will invest more than EUR 2.5 million over the next couple of years to transform the 110 ha site into a new solar and wind renewable energy farm. 

Containing millions of tonnes of slag, the dump’s closure has been carefully planned with input from the authorities. The LIBERTY team are now researching available technologies and innovative solutions which will allow for the recycling of some of the slag, which can be used to make cement or in construction, as well the future redevelopment of the site to allow the installation of a 180MW solar farm and a 20MW wind farm. The new farms will maximise LIBERTY Galați’s consumption of renewable power and reduce its electricity consumption. 

Aida Nechifor, General Manager of LIBERTY Galați, said: “The closure of the slag dump, its redevelopment and eventual transformation into a site to host green energy production will represent a major step forward in LIBERTY Galați’s GREENSTEEL journey, while the protection of the Mălina watercourse shows our community responsibility. These initiatives will place us at the forefront of Romania’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.”