Afrochine Smelting Company has completed constructing its coking coal oven battery while its coking coal plant has reached 70 percent completion in the US$50 million project that is expected to witness approximately 12 000 tonnes of coke being produced per month while employing around 300 workers.
Earlier in May, the company revealed that construction of the coke oven battery plant in Hwange was 50 percent complete, and at this rate the first phase of the plant is expected to be commissioned this December while the second phase is likely to be completed next year.
Coke is used as a source of thermal energy to smelt iron ore in steel production.
Last year in November, Mines and Mining Development Minister, Winston Chitando told Mining Zimbabwe that plans to increase ferro-chrome production were on course.
“Government signed an agreement with Tsingshan for the production of carbon steel. The main ingredients that go into carbon steel are ferrochrome, coke and iron ore.
“For that stainless steel production to commence, we have to ramp up ferrochrome production, which is happening. That is why we have the 500 000 tonnes (target by 2023),” he said at the time.
The plans also include increasing coke production which is why the company is investing in the coking coal plant.
Afrochine is a subsidiary of Tsingshan Iron and Steel Group of China and the second largest stainless steel producer in Zimbabwe.
The company has in the past also hinted on their intentions to construct a multi-million dollar electricity generation plant in the Selous area where they also have operations, with the view to ensure uninterrupted power supplies for the plant.
