The blast furnace shop has begun the largest major overhaul under the 2025 programme – the second-category major overhaul of BF No. 9.

Among the key objectives is the restoration of the refractory lining of the shaft, hearth, and hot blast stoves, along with the partial replacement of the blast furnace cooling system. In the initial stage, repair crews are already dismantling the old lining and cooling system.

The major overhaul will also include the replacement of numerous mechanical, electrical, and energy systems. In particular, the furnace charging device will be completely replaced.

"In the years of the war, this is the first major overhaul of a blast furnace on such a scale and with such a set of objectives we are expected to achieve properly and on schedule, together with our colleagues from the metallurgical equipment repair shop and the equipment repair shop. Our goal is to restore blast furnace No. 9 to its design specifications, especially in terms of productivity, and, of course, to ensure the continued reliable and stable operation of its equipment," says Yevhen PODHORNYI, deputy blast furnace shop manager for engineering at Kamet Steel.