ArcelorMittal Ostrava cuts solid emissions by 40% annually and forges ahead with its environmental investment programme

ArcelorMittal Ostrava, the largest steelmaker in the Czech Republic, cut its emissions of solid pollutants by 40% over the course of last year. In 2011, the company released only 669 tons of dust particles into the air and, for the first time in its history, fell below the 1,000 tons per year threshold. When ArcelorMittal Ostrava bought into Nová huť in 2003, the plant produced more than two thousand tons of dust emissions a year. Since then, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has invested CZK 3.7 billion in environmental projects. A programme of environmental investments worth close to three quarters of a billion Czech crowns was started this year.

“It is great news not only for the people in Ostrava. All our operations comply with the applicable regulations and even the stricter limits imposed by the integrated permits from regional authorities. Most production sites are even below the BAT (Best Available Technology) values; the limits will start to apply in the European Union in 2016 at the earliest” explains Petr Baranek, Chief Green Officer, ArcelorMittal Ostrava.

Regular environmental investment measures and voluntary commitment allow ArcelorMittal Ostrava to meet the goals of the Moravian-Silesian Region Action Plan 2009 - 2011 in all its plants.

“We are also compliant with the emission targets recommended by a study published by the Health Institute in Ostrava in 2007, and with emission limits set out by an expert study released by the VŠB-Technical University Ostrava in June 2011. These papers are our guidance in doing our part to keep the air quality in the region within the acceptable range and to prevent cases of overstepping of emission limits,” adds Baranek.

Despite the uncertain situation on the European steel markets, the scheduled environmental investments remain a priority and will go ahead. “This year we embarked on a programme of environmental improvements worth about three quarters of a billion Czech crowns, which, in the next two years, will lead to cutting sulphur dioxide emissions from our coking and steel plants,” comments Baranek.

The coking plant desulphurisation, costing CZK 211 million, will cut the hydrogen sulphide in the clean coking gas from 500 mg/m3 down to 300 mg/m3. The desulphurisation of the boiler plant (boilers K8 – K10), costing CZK 532 million, will cut SO2 emissions from 1,700 mg/Nm3 down to 200 mg/Nm3, and cut dust emissions from 50 mg/Nm3 down to 30 mg/Nm3.