LIBERTY Ostrava’s GREENSTEEL transformation continues at pace

With LIBERTY Ostrava’s new hybrid electric arc furnaces expected to be installed by 2025, as part of its CN30 plan, the plant is progressing the groundworks for the new furnaces’ hall at pace. A new energy bridge, which will distribute the gases and electricity cables necessary for operation of the new steel plant and other plants in the existing steel plant, is currently under construction while planning for a change in the plant’s railway system is also well underway.

Work began in November on the development of the hall’s main energy bridge, a steel structure through which twelve separate pipelines carry oxygen, nitrogen, compressed air and other important substances for production as well electrical and data cables. Following the relocation of the old bridge, dozens of huge vehicles have been used to deliver the steel structure required for the new one. The completion of the energy bridge is scheduled for the end of May after which the installation of pipes and cables will follow.

“The pillars are being erected and the assembly of the supporting steel structure of the energy bridge, on which the pipelines will be laid, has already begun. Many of the pipelines, which all have different parameters and are around four and a half kilometres long, are being made at Tubular plant of LIBERTY Ostrava.”

Roland Hinterreiter, hybrid furnace project director at LIBERTY Ostrava

This next stage of the project will be  the gradual welding of tubes and their installation on the steel structure. After completion, connections to existing technological gas distributions will take place during planned shutdowns.

“This whole process will be very complicated. In terms of oxygen, for example, the flow of gas through its pipe will be stopped. Then, inert nitrogen will be pushed through the pipeline to remove any residual oxygen, preventing an explosion during cutting. Then the pipe will be cut and the welding will begin. The welds will then be checked by X-ray, a pressure test will be performed and only once we are happy with those will the pipeline be filled again. The contractors will have about 48 hours to complete these activities and they will be repeated for each pipeline.”

Project Manager, Jakub Till

At the same time as the energy bridge is being replaced the railway track, which had to be removed due to construction of the new energy bridge, is also being reinstalled. Representatives of Danieli, the supplier of the new furnaces at  the heart of the new steel plant, are an integral part of the team so visit the building works on a regular basis.