Over the two decades of its presence in Poland, the company has already invested almost PLN 2.5 billion in both rolling mills. The recently completed project to build hydrogen furnaces in the annealing plant of the Krakow branch of ArcelorMittal Poland consumed PLN 52 million. The sheets are now annealed without the use of ammonia, which will bring measurable environmental benefits in the long run – it has already reduced CO2 emissions from the process by 50 percent. The installation is currently in the start-up phase.
In Krakow, there is the most modern hot rolling mill in Europe, built in 2007 for PLN 1.2 billion, and a cold rolling mill with galvanizing and sheet metal painting lines.
"Sheet metal, which fits perfectly into the needs of customers from the household appliances or construction industry, is a specialty of Krakow. The assortment of this branch is valued not only in Poland, but also abroad, which is why since 2004, when ArcelorMittal took over the Krakow steelworks, we have been consistently expanding and modernizing our production lines, as well as investing in new products. The value of our investments in the processing part is already nearly PLN 2.5 billion" says Wojciech Koszuta, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland.
Hydrogen revolution at ArcelorMittal Poland's Kraków branch
Modernization of the production process is associated with technological changes that gradually reduce the environmental impact of plants. Only thanks to the recent, PLN 52 million hydrogen furnace project, the company eliminated ammonia from the annealing process and shortened the duration of the process itself, which translated into lower consumption of natural gas and electricity. This, in turn, reduced CO2 emissions during annealing by 50 percent.
"Replacing installations that have been operating until recently with new ones with a 100% hydrogen atmosphere is a technological leap. It is worth noting that these are the only hydrogen furnaces from overseas in Poland and the first in the ArcelorMittal Group in Europe" emphasizes Kamil Kaczmarek, maintenance manager at the cold rolling mill and technical leader of the project. “The installation elements were made in Poland, Austria and the USA (Ohio)” he adds.
In Krakow, there is the most modern hot rolling mill in Europe, built in 2007 for PLN 1.2 billion, and a cold rolling mill with galvanizing and sheet metal painting lines.
"Sheet metal, which fits perfectly into the needs of customers from the household appliances or construction industry, is a specialty of Krakow. The assortment of this branch is valued not only in Poland, but also abroad, which is why since 2004, when ArcelorMittal took over the Krakow steelworks, we have been consistently expanding and modernizing our production lines, as well as investing in new products. The value of our investments in the processing part is already nearly PLN 2.5 billion" says Wojciech Koszuta, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland.
Hydrogen revolution at ArcelorMittal Poland's Kraków branch
Modernization of the production process is associated with technological changes that gradually reduce the environmental impact of plants. Only thanks to the recent, PLN 52 million hydrogen furnace project, the company eliminated ammonia from the annealing process and shortened the duration of the process itself, which translated into lower consumption of natural gas and electricity. This, in turn, reduced CO2 emissions during annealing by 50 percent.
"Replacing installations that have been operating until recently with new ones with a 100% hydrogen atmosphere is a technological leap. It is worth noting that these are the only hydrogen furnaces from overseas in Poland and the first in the ArcelorMittal Group in Europe" emphasizes Kamil Kaczmarek, maintenance manager at the cold rolling mill and technical leader of the project. “The installation elements were made in Poland, Austria and the USA (Ohio)” he adds.