A VOD (vacuum oxygen decarburization) plant supplied by Primetals has received the final acceptance certificate from Colakoglu, one of Turkey’s largest steelmakers, Primetals said Feb. 26.
With a heat size of 295 mt, the VOD plant is the largest worldwide and Colakoglu will be able to produce special steels like IF grades, ULC grades and stainless steels, the company noted. The plant was upgraded from an existing vacuum degassing plant also supplied by Primetals.
“This will help Colakoglu to broaden its product range and enter additional markets,” Primetals said.
Immediately after start-up, for the first time in Turkey, stainless steel grades 304 and 304L were produced by Colakoglu.
Colakoglu operates an electric arc steel plant in Dilovasi, western Turkey. The main products there are slabs for a hot rolling mill, and billets for producing rebar and rock bolts.
The company currently has bar output capacity of 1 million mt/year and HRC production capacity of 3 million mt/year.
Colakoglu is aiming to raise its HRC output capacity by 50% with a new annealing furnace investment, as Platts has reported.
The company’s HRC production capacity will reach 4.5-5 million mt with this investment as of the second quarter of 2022, CEO Ugur Dalbeler told Platts.
— Cenk Can
