ArcelorMittal, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) largest steelmaker, said on Friday it was investing 75 million BAM ($47 million) to overhaul a blast furnace at its steel plant in BiH to extend its lifespan and improve environmental standards.
Environmentalists have long complained about high levels of pollution caused by the plant in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, which has a workforce of 2,200 people and is BiH’S top exporter.
Work will start in coming days on what will be the biggest overhaul at the plant since 1989 and should extend the lifespan of the plant for another 15 to 20 years, Dijana Bozic-Srdanovic, the plant’s spokeswoman, said.
The work should be completed by the end of June, she said.
The steelmaker was installing three filters at the facility which are designed to capture 95 percent of harmful gases and reduce dust emissions to less than 10 milligrams per normal cubic meter, said Bozic-Srdanovic.
ArcelorMittal produced 756,000 tonnes of liquid steel in 2017.
The Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has made a list of the largest BiH exporters and importers. As it was explained, the list of TOP 10 importers and exporters in BiH in 2017 was created based on the value achieved in the last year.
According to the official data of the Indirect Taxation Authority, the list of companies with the largest exports from BiH is led by “ArcelorMittal Zenica”, the Company for Design, Development, Production, and Movement in automotive “Prevent Visoko” and “Aluminij Mostar”.
In March 2017, ArcelorMittal Zenica Zenica officially put into operation three significant projects for the company with a total investment of 24.8 million BAM.
Two environmental projects and a project for development of new product was officially put into operation at the official ceremony that was attended by cantonal and city officials, as well as representatives of the top management of ArcelorMittal. The first and largest project which was presented at hotel Zenica is the project of development of new product rib in a coil, which is worth 10.4 million BAM.
“This city needs new workplaces and clean air, and today we are seeing that the second thing is moving forward. I am pleased that companies are partners of ArcelorMittal Zenica, and I hope that this operation will be continued in the future. ArcelorMittal Zenica will meet EU standards, and today one of the projects is even better than the EU norm,” said Mayor of Zenica, Fuad Kasumovic.
(Source: economictimes, ST)
