Successful Startup of Arvedi ESP Plant at Zhongshou Special Steel: The World’s Most Powerful

• Important milestone reached for the world’s 11^th Arvedi ESP plant
• Endless hot-rolled coils (eHRC) proven to be a game changer in the Chinese market for hot- and cold-rolled products
• With four roughing stands and five finishing mill stands, the most powerful and productive Arvedi ESP line to date

On May 13, after just five days from the first cast, the first coil was successfully produced at the new Arvedi ESP (endless strip production) plant from Primetals Technologies at Zhongshou Special Steel’s facilities in Luanzhou, Hebei Province, China. On May 16, the plant had already started operating in endless mode.

The Most Powerful Arvedi ESP Plant

The facility is the 11^th Arvedi ESP plant to be put into operation worldwide, and it is also the most powerful so far. With its 130-millimeter-thick caster, four roughing stands, and five finishing stands, it represents the most powerful and productive Arvedi ESP line installed to date in China. The plant is designed to cover a wide mix of grades ranging from low-carbon to high-strength low-alloy steels.

The startup of this plant is a significant milestone in the development of Zhongshou Group’s strategic decision to abandon the conventional blast furnace-LD converter (BOF)-hot-strip mill route in favor of an electric arc furnace (EAF)-based meltshop and endless casting and rolling technologies. As such, the company represents a true groundbreaker in the progressive decarbonization of the Chinese steel industry.

A Game Changer in China

In terms of product dimensions, the new plant is designed to cover the full gauge range from 0.7 to 12.7 millimeters, taking full advantage of the endless casting and rolling process. The Arvedi ESP plant at Zhongshou represents the first second-generation Arvedi ESP plant installed in China, featuring several innovative solutions in both caster and mill. These are based on the unparalleled experience gained by Primetals Technologies from its previous ten Arvedi ESP plants in full production and the more than 170 million tons of coils produced to date using this revolutionary technology worldwide.

Arvedi ESP technology, with its zero CO₂ emissions thanks to the use of energy from renewable sources, is recognized as the only officially certified solution for carbon-neutral thin-slab casting and rolling. It is also the most energy-efficient process for producing high-quality eHRC.