Ostrava steelworks to be revamped

The integrated steel company Liberty Ostrava signed a contract worth 8.6 billion crowns on Friday with the Italian company Danieli, a global manufacturer of machines and industrial equipment, agreeing that the Italian firm will supply them with two hybrid electric arc furnaces, due to be put into operation in 2025. The new furnaces, the first of their kind in Europe, are considered essential for the future of metalworking and will have an annual production capacity of 3.5 million tons of steel. They will replace the four current tandem furnaces, which were built in the 1970s.

The modernization of the steelworks will be the largest investment in the modern history of the Ostrava-based company. It will enable it to continue to operate for decades to come, and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 80 percent by 2027, making it a crucial step towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030.