Blast furnace no. 2 at the Smederevo-based steel plant Zelezara Smederevo was ignited on Monday, restoring the production after two months.
The first tons of liquid iron will be transported to the steel mill in the next two to three days, while other sections of the plant will be put into operation successively.
The lighting of one of the two blast furnaces in Zelezara, which employs around 5,000 people, was planned for late June, but was postponed for technical reasons. One blast furnace has been out of operation for years due to lack of raw materials, while the other was held in reserve since early May this year.
The government of Serbia, Zelezara’s owner since February 2012 when it was bought back from U.S. Steel for USD 1, formed an operating group in May 2014 tasked with establishing contact with investors interested in the Smederevo steel plant.
The negotiations on Zelezara privatization are currently underway with seven or eight serious investors, and the bidding procedure will be launched after the talks with prospective buyers and the decision of the Serbian government, Tanjug learnt at the Ministry of Economy.
Economy Minister Dusan Vujovic told Belgrade-based TV B92 last week that a call for bids for Zelezara Smederevo will be announced in the next two months, without specifying more details.
Source SerbGov
