Metinvest to increase annual production of DR pellets at the Northern Iron Ore to four million tons

The Ukrainian metallurgical and mining group Metinvest has announced the start of construction of a flotation and concentration complex at the Northern Iron Ore Combine as part of a large-scale program for the production of high-quality direct reduction pellets (DR) for the production of green steel.

Metinvest Sechstal, a subsidiary responsible for the implementation of the group's strategic investment projects, has signed an agreement with global technology supplier Metso to develop basic engineering for the integration of the new fleet complex into the existing concentrate production process. This design phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.

Increased iron content to 70.8 percent with lower impurities

The project is designed to increase the iron content in the standard concentrate to 70.8 percent, while reducing the proportion of impurities - silicon and aluminum oxides - to two percent.

The high-grade concentrate will be used to produce DR pellets using direct iron reduction (DRI) technology, support green steel production, and strengthen Metinvest's position in emerging iron ore markets.

The flotation and concentration complex will include three main processing sites:

• Additional grinding of flotation raw materials in vertical tower mills,
• Modernization of flotation,
• Dewatering of flotation concentrate using filter presses.

These updates are aimed at improving the quality of raw materials and operational