A new chapter opened in Republic of China industrial history June 27 with ignition of the first newly completed blast furnace of China Steel Corporation in the southern Taiwan seaport of Kaohsiung. The construction of this giant steel mill, one of the nation's big ten projects, has proceeded very successfully since its beginning on September 1, 1974. The blast furnace, considered as the 'heart' of entire mill complex, will be in continuous round-the-clock operation for as long as five consecutive years. Ore sinters, limestone and other ingredients will be melted in the furnace then carried forward to the basic oxygen furnace, where they will be turned into liquid steel ready to cast billets and slabs on the production line. The making of such basic materials as steel plates, wire rods, coiled bars, rebars, and straight hot-rolled bars will follow. Immediately after the ignition of the first blast furnace, China Steel Corporation began building another blast furnace to continue the steel-making process. Its daily output of liquid steel will be about 4,000 metric tons during this period.
The initial capital of the integrated steel mill, one of the most expensive of the big Ten Major Construction Projects, was over US$970 millions. The ignition of the first blast furnace at the Kaohsiung mill points to a bright future for the nation's steel industry, and also marks the Republic of China's shift from a country of light industry to one of heavy industrialization. The blast furnace, 86.3-meters high and 10.3-meters in diameter has a capacity of 20,000 metric tons. It was the most challenging part of the entire project, in terms of design and engineering requirements.
By early next year, the annual production capacity of the steel plant will be 1.35 million metric tons, including 200,000 metric tons of trade billets, 300,000 metric tons of rods, 300,000 of straight hot-rolled bars, 400,000 of steel plates and 150,000 metric tons of pig iron. The second phase of construction is due for completion by 1982, with the estimated annual output to be boosted to 2.7 million metric tons.
Ma Chi-chuang, CSC Board Chairman, at the ignition ceremony
Chao Yao-tung, General Manager of CSC, lights the furnace
