Zaporizhkoks has invested more than UAH 276 million in the repair of coke oven batteries since 2022

Metinvest Group’s Zaporozhkoks, one of the largest producers of coke for steel industry in Ukraine, has allocated more than UAH 276 million for the capital upgrade of the coke oven stock at its coke shop since the beginning of 2022. This is stated in a press release by Metinvest.Media.

«Despite the proximity of the frontline and other challenges associated with a full-scale war, the company continues its stable work to provide metallurgists with high-quality coke. The key factor in stable production is the serviceability of the main equipment – coke oven batteries. Since the beginning of 2022, the company has allocated over UAH 276 million for the overhaul of coke oven batteries No. 2 and No. 5-6,» says Olexander Bekhter, CEO of the company.

In 2024, the company continues to implement the program of overhaul of units, in particular, coke oven battery No. 2 with an investment of UAH 60 million.

Since the beginning of the year, two walls of the coking chambers have been relocated, and reinforcement elements, armor and anchor columns on the furnaces have been replaced. Two more coking chamber partitions are scheduled for relining in the near future. At the Design Bureau No. 2 complex, the quenching car is also being repaired, and auxiliary sites and railroad tracks are being updated.

The main contractor is Zaporizhvognetryv, which has expanded its range of refractories for Zaporizhkoks coke oven batteries and mastered the process of lining them since the start of the full-scale war.

The work is being carried out in the existing production environment, which allows us to maintain the planned coke production volumes. The repairs will extend the life of the unit and reduce the environmental impact.

«Repairing coke oven batteries is important for the steel industry as a whole and for preventing coke shortages in the domestic market. Avdiivka Coke Plant, which was the largest coke plant in Europe, was destroyed during the war. Therefore, maintaining the existing coke facilities is a prerequisite for the continuation of production and export activities of other steelmaking companies,» commented GMK Center analyst Andriy Glushchenko.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Zaporozhkoks increased its blast furnace coke production by 16% or 119.4 thousand tons in 2023 – to 856.8 thousand tons.

At the same time, in 2022, the company reduced blast furnace coke production by 11.9% compared to 2021, to 737.4 thousand tons. Production decreased as a result of the plant’s shutdown on March 1, 2022, due to the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Production was partially resumed on April 1. The company’s products were supplied to Metinvest’s enterprises, including Zaporizhstal.