STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- In connection with the expansion of AvestaPolarit's Tornio Works, investments of more than EUR 100 million will be made to reduce the environmental impact of operations during 2000-2004. This means that measures aimed at reducing environmental impact and emissions and improving materials handling account for approximately one-tenth of the overall investment.
Among the more significant major environmental investments are the dust extraction and flue gas cleaning plant at the melting shop and the acid recovery systems and water purification plant at the cold rolling mill. Major investments have also been made in enclosed water systems and to increase the degree of water recycling in production processes.
Doubling production levels and reducing emissions
In practice, these environmental investments at the Tornio Works mean that steel production will be more than doubled at the same time as emissions are reduced compared to earlier levels. As a result of these investments emissions to water have already been reduced significantly since the end of the 1990s and are now well below permissible levels.
To take one example, the emissions to water of chrome and nickel from the ferrochrome plant and melting shop have fallen by 60-80 per cent compared to the levels of two to three years ago and are now on average only 2-3 kilos per day. This is a fraction of the largely natural load of metallic emissions in the same area around the Gulf of Bothnia. For example, the flow of these metals into the sea from the main rivers in the region (the Torne alv and Kemi alv) is between 15 and 30 times greater. The health of the fish population around the Tornio Works is said to be good and there is also some fishing industry in the vicinity of the plants.
The decision announced recently to upgrade the original melting shop, a project that is due to be completed in 2004, can also largely be regarded as an environmental investment. A total of EUR 19 million will be invested to reduce dust emissions and emissions to water from the melting shop. This will enable dust emissions from the Tornio Works to be reduced by 30 per cent compared to current levels.
The world's most efficient cold rolling line, the RAP 5 line, which is now being commissioned, will help improve the environmental performance of the Tornio Works and further reduce the anticipated emission levels per tonne of produced steel. When all development and ramp-up activities have been completed, the Tornio Works will be the world's largest single production facility for stainless steel. These environmental investments are also the largest ever to be made in connection with the expansion of a single facility in Finland's history as an industrial nation.
For further information, please contact:
Risto Liisanantti, Vice President Administration tel. +358 (0)16 452 628, +358 (0)400 581 628 Juha Ylimaunu, Manager, Environmental Coordination tel. +358 (0)16-452 450, +358 (0)40-501 8856 Seppo Koivuniemi, Project Manager tel. +358 (0)16-452422, +358 (0)40-571 2868 This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/03/10/20030310BIT00040/wkr0001.doc www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/03/10/20030310BIT00040/wkr0002.pdf