[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks Blast Furnace No. 3 has been reborn as a smart and eco-friendly blast furnace.
On the morning of the 10th, POSCO held a blast furnace lighting ceremony at the site of Blast Furnace No. 3 at Gwangyang Steelworks, attended by executives and employees of the group companies, marking the completion of the second rebuild and the start of the third campaign operation. A blast furnace rebuild refers to the process of shutting down the furnace, replacing the internal refractory bricks, and upgrading some related equipment.
Through this second rebuild, Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 3 has been transformed into an ultra-large, smart, and eco-friendly blast furnace. By increasing the volume from 4,600㎥ to 5,500㎥, productivity improved by 25%, enabling an annual production capacity of 4.6 million tons. This allows for optimal tapping operations, extending equipment lifespan, reducing carbon emissions, and lowering raw material costs.
Additionally, smart technologies utilizing artificial intelligence were introduced to further enhance operational and quality stability. Environmental functions were also strengthened by investing in gas cleaning facilities and slag water recovery systems, improving dust removal efficiency and by-product energy recovery rates from the blast furnace.
The rebuild project for Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 3 took a total of 1 year and 8 months, including 5 months of molten iron production suspension, with an investment of approximately 400 billion KRW and participation of 230,000 person-days. Despite COVID-19, the project proceeded as planned without a single infection case. Partner companies, fully equipped with additional personnel and equipment for the lighting, have begun full-scale operations, revitalizing the local economy.
POSCO has already secured orders necessary for the operation of Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 3 and plans to strive to achieve normal operation levels early to ensure no disruption to customers’ production and sales activities. Although the improvement of steel demand industries remains uncertain due to COVID-19 and steel prices are weak, POSCO aims to minimize costs and secure profitability through maximum orders and production-sales.
Choi Jeong-woo, Chairman of POSCO, who attended the lighting ceremony, said, "Since the first lighting in December 1990, Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 3 has produced a total of 97 million tons of molten iron over 29 years and 3 months, serving as the foundation for POSCO’s growth and the development of demand industries. The blast furnace is a facility that produces steel, the rice of industry, symbolizing harmony, convergence, and challenge. I hope this lighting will be a signal to quickly overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 and mark the restart of POSCO and, further, the manufacturing industry of the Republic of Korea."
Meanwhile, with this lighting of Blast Furnace No. 3, POSCO now operates a total of four ‘smart blast furnaces’?two each in Pohang and Gwangyang. Worldwide, there are 15 ultra-large blast furnaces with volumes of 5,500㎥ or more. POSCO owns six in total, including the world’s largest Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 1 (6,000㎥), two in Pohang, and four in Gwangyang, further solidifying its status as a steelworks with the world’s best technology.
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