Pyrometallurgy Modernisation Programme — flash furnace at the Głogów Copper Smelter
Modernisation of the pyrometallurgical line at the Głogów I plant at the Głogów Copper Smelter, owned by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. The key element of the programme was the replacement of the worn-out shaft-furnace technology with a flash furnace, described as the world's largest flash-and-electric furnace installation. The new production line reached an output of approx. 250,000 tonnes of blister copper per year and allows smelting to be conducted in a technologically cleaner and lower-emission form. Completion of the work was originally planned for 2015 at an assumed cost of under PLN 2 billion; ultimately the construction of the new line cost more than PLN 2.5 billion. The ceremonial opening of the installation took place in January 2017 with the participation of the President of the Republic of Poland. On 3 October 2017, shortly after start-up, a failure of the waste-heat boiler occurred (the collapse of a so-called sinter overhang), which halted the furnace's operation for nearly a month; from 19 October a technical start-up of the roasting installation was carried out, on 25 October the burners of the roasting furnace were lit, and the return of the Głogów I Copper Smelter to full production capacity was planned for the first half of November 2017.
How it went
Assessment: settled. Signals only where documented.
Timeline
Slip: +24 mo. vs. the original date
- Original date 2015
- Delivery 2017
Change history
- Jan 2017 stage: operational
Significance
The programme secured the continuation of copper production at KGHM's largest smelting plant, replacing the obsolete shaft-furnace technology with a modern flash furnace with an output of approx. 250,000 tonnes of blister copper per year. The new installation reduces smelting costs and emissions of harmful gases, and according to KGHM is to allow production to be maintained for further decades. The failure of the waste-heat boiler in October 2017 caused a nearly month-long shutdown of the new installation, translating into a loss of electrolytic copper output and financial losses estimated in media reports at several hundred million złoty.
Sources 7 · 4 archived
Every fact on this card comes from the sources below. Next to each source — which fields it supports.
- Inwestycja za 2,5 mld zł w Hucie Miedzi Głogów. To największa na świecie instalacja tego typu ↗ archived ✓Forsal.pl 19 Jan 2017CostInvestorStatusStage
Cost „Ponad 2,5 mld zł kosztowała budowa nowej linii produkcyjnej w należącej do KGHM Hucie Miedzi Głogów."
- StrefaInwestorow.pl 23 Jan 2017StatusStageDelivery
Status „KGHM uruchomił instalację pieca zawiesinowego i elektrycznego w hucie w Głogowie"
Stage „W Hucie Miedzi Głogów w piątek 20 stycznia 2017 roku, w towarzystwie Prezydenta RP Andrzeja Dudy, uroczyście została uruchomiona"
- Utrzymanie Ruchu 8 Nov 2013Original date
Original date „Zmiana technologii, która wiąże się z budową pieca zawiesinowego, w zakładzie „Głogów I” zakończy się w 2015 roku."
Budget „Kędzia poinformował, że zakładany koszt tej inwestycji nie przekroczy 2 mld zł."
- KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. 2 Nov 2017StatusStage
- Forsal.pl 2017OutcomeLosses
Losses „mówimy więc o potencjalnej utracie ok. 430 mln zł przychodów"
- KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.
- KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.OutcomeUtilisation
Utilisation „Currently the Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery has a production capacity of approx. 475 thousand tonnes of electrolytic copper per year, of which Głogów I has a capacity of 240 kt/year and Głogów II has a capacity of 235 kt/year."