SC FERAL TULCEA

FERROALLOYS PLANT

BRIEF

According to the programs for developing the Romanian industry and due to electric power oversupply in the ‘70s of the previous century, arose the need of developing new facilities in the Romanian metallurgical industry, so that during the 9th decade Romania should reach yearly productions of 25 – 30 million tons of steel and 250 – 300.000 tons of aluminum ingots.

In such context, projects for strong metallurgical locations arose, as there were Galati, Targoviste, developing and modernizations to the existent steel mills at that time in Resita, Hunedoara, Campia Turzii, and nonferrous plants as were: Slatina, Baia Mare, Tulcea, etc.

Such a Romanian steel production increase led to the necessity of importing ferroalloys to be used for steel deoxidizing and alloying. The currency effort for the ferroalloys imports was the basis of building such a ferroalloys plant in Romania.

The building of the plant started in 1973 with the “Ferroalloys 1” unit. On the 27 of July, in the night, it was released the first tap of ferroalloys of Romanian production. In 1980, this unit would reach a production of 80,000 tons.

The ferroalloys production was further on developed, into several stages, having been started in 1977 the unit “Silicon Metal” with a production capacity of 7.500 tone / year, enhanced with 3 furnaces of de 6.3- 7.1 MVA and in 1980 – the unit “Ferroalloys 1” with a production capacity 200,000 tons/year, ferroalloys with silicon, manganese and chrome, five furnaces with input powers of 33 MVA.

The maximum ferroalloys quantity produced in the entire plant was in 1988, i.e. 250,000 tons of ferroalloys with silicon, manganese, chrome and special ferroalloys, as ferrowolfram, silicomagnesium, ferrosilicon (for electric sheet).

Starting with 1990, as well as in the whole Romanian industry, the plant faced a production decline, due to poor financing and to the high power consumption, facts that finally lead in 1998 to the plant stoppage.

In 1999 the company passed into private ownership. Starting with 2002, the plant assets are owned by FERAL Ltd., hence the name S.C. FERAL S.R.L.

For the time being, the plant has 10 furnaces, from which 5 in the unit “Ferroalloys 1” with a rated power of 16.5 MVA each and 5 furnaces in the unit “Ferroalloys 2” with a rated power de 33 MVA each. The production of the unit “Ferroalloys 1” is 100,000 tons/year. The furnaces of the unit “Ferroalloys 2” are for manganese alloys manufacturing. The production of the unit “Feroalloys 2” is 180,000 tons / year.

The personnel of the plant is highly qualified, the enhancing to facilities in function are up dated at the highest technological level and the authorizations for running the plant are in accordance with the enforceable legislation.

The plant has ensured the market for the production, both for export and for domestic market.

The major investments performed by the Feral Ltd. shareholders regarding the modernization of all the production facilities, in the environment protection, in creating the personnel labor microclimate, plant facilities, such as water, methane, thermofication, sewerages, etc., enhancements regarding the compensating of the reactive electric power, the facilities for preparing and processing the finished product and many others like these make it happen that the plant – SC FERAL SRL Tulcea – one of the most modern in the world.