Formosa Ha Tinh Steel has temporarily shut down blast furnace No. 1 for inspection and repairs following a fire caused by a technical malfunction at hot air furnace No. 3, according to the Ha Tinh Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, according to the local media reports.
The incident occurred on the morning of September 4. The fire was brought under control after being detected, while authorities and the company inspected the site to assess the impact and determine the cause.
Formosa Ha Tinh is currently reducing the blast furnace temperature to facilitate troubleshooting. The company operates four preheaters for each blast furnace, with three normally in operation and one serving as a backup. Authorities said blast furnace No. 1 can maintain around 80pct of capacity if repairs take longer than expected.
The provincial authorities have instructed relevant agencies to work with Formosa Ha Tinh to assess the impact on blast furnace No. 1 and related facilities, determine the extent of any damage and establish a schedule for equipment repairs and the resumption of operations.
No further details on the production impact or repair timeline have been provided.
Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation is an integrated steel producer located in the Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam. Established in 2008, Formosa operates an integrated blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) steelmaking complex producing HRC, wire rod, bars, blooms, billets and slabs. The company currently has crude steel production capacity of around 7.5 mln tons per year.