Zaporozhye Ferroalloy Plant (ZZF) has stopped operating furnaces for the winter due to possible electricity limitations and will repair equipment to prepare for the resumption of production at the end of the heating season.
According to the company’s press release, ZF is one one of the largest energy-intensive enterprises in the Zaporozhye region. This is due, first of all, to the continuous operation of powerful furnace units.
“For stable operation of the enterprise, the provision of electricity and water supply must be guaranteed. The performance of furnaces directly depends on these factors. Interruption of electricity and water supplies negatively affects the technical condition of furnace units at a very high cost (the cost of one furnace reaches hundreds of millions of hryvnia). Each launch and heating of the furnace is accompanied by significant capital investments and the production of substandard ferroalloys,” states the press release.
At the same time, it is noted that the ZZF is located in the city of Zaporozhye, which, starting from March 12, 2022, was in the territory of active hostilities, and from January 1, 2023 is in the territory of possible hostilities.
Taking into account the experience of the previous winter period in conditions of restrictions in the supply of electricity due to the destruction of critical infrastructure and the need to provide heat to residents of the region, reducing the load on the energy networks of the region and Ukraine, as well as the presence of ferroalloy residues in the enterprise’s warehouses, it was decided to suspend the furnace units for repair work, which cannot be carried out during their current operation.
As reported, the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant controlled by the Privat group, stopped its production in October. Also, the Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant and the Marganetssky Mining and Processing Plant, members of the group, announced the suspension of mining and processing of raw manganese ore.
