- POSCO resumed the operation of the no. 4 and no. 2 blast
furnaces as of September 12: the
entire blast furnaces of Pohang Steelworks are under normal
operation.
- POSCO resumed the operation of the no.4 steel converter and
has run an emergency shipment response team starting September 12.
- The rolling line, which was most heavily affected by the
flooding of the Nangcheon Stream, is under draining work.
SEOUL, South Korea,
Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/
-- POSCO Pohang Steelworks started producing semi-finished
steel as the no.3 blast furnace, and some of its steel-making
plants returned to normal.
POSCO resumed the operation of the no.3 blast furnace on
September 10 and no.4 and no.2 blast
furnaces on September 12, which made
all the blast furnaces of Pohang Steelworks return to normal.
On September 12, POSCO restored
the steel-making and continuous casting facilities to process the
molten metal produced in a blast furnace at the steel-making
line.
The rolling line is under active restoration, which was most
heavily damaged by the flooding of the Nangcheon Stream as the line
was located near the stream. POSCO finished about 80% of the
draining work for the rolling line. The draining wok for no.1 hot
strip mill and no.3 plate mil plant, which need to be operated as a
priority, was completed, and the power supply began.
POSCO is running an emergency shipment response team from today
to stabilize the supply and demand of steel and minimize the damage
to customers. POSCO plans to gear its Gwangyang Steel Mill
intfullaximum production system by adjusting the repair schedule
and converting the production of urgent materials demanded by
customers into Gwangyang Steel Mill to respond to customer demand.
POSCO will also sell its stocks to customers to meet their need for
critical materials.
- Steelmaking: to remove impurities from molten metal produced in
a blast furnace and adjust its elements to meet customer
demand
- Continuous casting: to make the molten metal, which went
through the steel-making line, into solid-state semi-finished steel
(including slab)
- Rolling: to fabricate the steel according to its usage by
applying heat and pressure
As the restoration work is expected to take a long, POSCO sees a
potential risk increase as the safety awareness could be
diminished. In this regard, POSCO is strengthening safety
management by designating managers by each work stage to reduce
safety risks. In addition, POSCO strives to ensure safety
management by providing training programs about extreme dangers
such as electric shock and gas leaks with the resumed operation of
its facilities after the flooding.
Choi, Jeong Woo, CEO of POSCO
GROUP, revisited Pohang Steelworks on the 12th. CEO
Choi looked around the flooded area of the stream, which is the
most significant cause of the flooding, and had a site inspection
focusing on the rolling line where the draining and mud removal
works are still underway.
While visiting the stainless steel-making line, electrical steel
line, wire rod line, stainless annealing line, plate mill line, and
no.3 blast furnace, CEO Choi cheered up each employee on site and
participated in the restoration works as well.
"The most important thing of the restoration works is safety.
Please engage in the restoration in strict compliance with the
stipulated procedure without rushing", said CEO Choi emphasizing
the safety-first principle. "I'd like to express the deepest
gratitude to the employees for their dedicated effort to protecting
and saving the steelworks in the stream flooding and restoration
works," added he.