Italy's Tenova, a Techint Group company specializing in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries, announced the successful launch of its ENERGIRON Zero-Reformer (ZR) direct reduced iron micromodule at the Bolivian company Empresa Siderúrgica del Mutún (ESM) in Santa Cruz, where the first direct reduced iron (DRI) was produced on October 7th. This milestone marks the first DRI production plant in Bolivia's history and an important step in the development of the country's steel industry.
The new ENERGIRON plant will produce 250,000 tons of DRI annually, supplying the smelter with high-quality metal materials with:
- 94 percent metallization,
- 3-4 percent controlled carbon content
- uniform quality suitable for low-emission steel production.
First DR plant in Bolivia
The zero-reforming micro-module, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli, is part of a larger steel complex consisting of seven interconnected units: beneficiation, granulation, direct reduction, steel mill, rolling mill, power plant and auxiliary plants. Once fully operational, the new complex will satisfy nearly half of Bolivia's steel demand, expand the region's clean steel capabilities and reduce dependence on imported steel products.
