POSCO Gwangyang No.4 Blast Furnace Holds Lighting Ceremony to Mark Start of Third Campaign Operation

Chairman Choi Jung-woo: "Strengthen POSCO Group's Position as a Global Leader and Become a Strong Pillar"

Reducing Fine Dust Emissions by up to 90% through Environmental Facility Investments... Enhancing Eco-friendly Manufacturing Competitiveness

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks Blast Furnace No. 4 has successfully completed its second refurbishment and has begun its third life.
On the 10th, POSCO held a lighting ceremony for Blast Furnace No. 4 at Gwangyang Steelworks, attended by POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, POSCO Vice Chairman Kim Hak-dong, POSCO Engineering & Construction President Han Seong-hee, POSCO Chemical President Min Kyung-jun, POSCO ICT President Jeong Deok-gyun, and other group company representatives and employees.

POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said, “Today marks the day when Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 4 was reborn as a premium blast furnace with world-class competitiveness through your precious sweat and efforts. It is also meaningful as it is the 100th day since POSCO Group transitioned to a holding company system,” adding, “Like the blast furnace, a symbol of the steelworks, I hope POSCO will further solidify its world-class status and become a strong pillar of the POSCO Group.”

Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 4 was completed in September 1992 with a capacity of 3,800㎥ and began its first operation. It was expanded to 5,500㎥ through the first refurbishment in January 2009.

This second refurbishment maintained the same capacity but focused on △ modernizing aging equipment to ensure a safe workplace, △ investing in environmental facilities to reduce air pollutants, and △ enhancing cost competitiveness through the establishment of a smart blast furnace system.

In particular, environmental facility investments such as the new application of a clean breather for blast gas and the addition of dust collection equipment in piping systems reduced fine dust emissions by up to 90% compared to the previous blast furnace, raising eco-friendly manufacturing competitiveness. Additionally, by integrating artificial intelligence that predicts and automatically controls overall blast furnace operations with the know-how of experienced field workers accumulated over many years, raw material and fuel costs were reduced, and operational stability was further strengthened.

This project, which lasted a total of one year and six months, involved an investment of 370.3 billion KRW and engaged approximately 270,000 personnel, contributing to the revitalization of the local economy, which had been stagnated due to COVID-19.

Going forward, POSCO plans to optimize the operation of Blast Furnace No. 4 to reduce coal consumption and take a leading role in carbon emission reduction.

Meanwhile, aiming for sustainable green growth and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, POSCO plans to invest 20 trillion KRW by 2026 in improving steelmaking process efficiency and investing in eco-friendly facilities to transition to a low-carbon, eco-friendly production system. POSCO intends to further strengthen its world-class steel competitiveness and continue growing as a leading company in eco-friendly future materials.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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