Steel mills can be operational for up to 50 years longer with upgrades, which could be a better option than building new ones.
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| Siemens\' steel plant |
Werner Auer, CEO of Siemens VAI said that in order to lengthen longevity of steel plants, efforts should be made to make current facilities meet new requirements for energy efficiency, safety and environmental protection.
“Extending operating periods in this way is technically possible, and makes economic sense, but requires continuous plant modernisation”, he explained to the international press in Kolkata, India on May 11.
According to Auer it will become increasingly important to modernise and upgrade existing plants in order to enable production of new steel grades and material properties. This especially goes for countries with a rising demand for consumer goods such as India and China.
“Besides the growing construction sector, we\'re expecting stronger demand from the development that will take place upon economic recovery,” Auer said.
“The business of modernising and optimising existing plants is growing faster than that of building new plants, and Siemens VAI has expanded its portfolio for this purpose,” he said.
“By optimising individual components and processes in steel production and integrating them into the production process, we can ensure flexible and competitive operation of plants for service lives of 50 years and more”, he added.
