Baosteel Zhanjiang commissions new slab caster

Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel, a wholly owned subsidiary of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Baosteel), has commissioned a new continuous slab caster at its Zhanjiang steelmaking complex in Guangdong province, southern China, according to the company’s announcement released on January 11.

The new caster, officially commissioned on January 9, can roll slabs to a width of 2,700 mm and up to 460 mm thick, purportedly the largest currently available in China, according to Baosteel Zhanjiang. The caster, the No.5, has a design capacity of 3.5 million tonnes/year, the company said in the release.

The project is intended to support demand for high-strength structural steels, including advanced grades used in wind power, bridge construction, and heavy engineering, the release said.

The equipment was supplied by London-headquartered Primetals Technologies, which has so far delivered four slab conticasters to the Zhanjiang steelworks, according to Primetals.

Last November, Primetals had announced the winning of a contract to supply two slab conticasters to Hebei Jinxi Iron and Steel Group for Jinxi Steel's plant near Tangshan, Hebei province, each with a capacity of 2.5 million t/y. The casters will be able to supply slabs 200~ 230 mm thick and 800~1,800 mm wide and are scheduled to be commissioned by the end of this year, Primetals said.

Written by Molly Liao, liaoliying@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com