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• SMS group will deliver two travelling grate pelletizing plants to Hebei Province in China
• The plants will be built for Ganglu Iron and Steel and Jinan Iron and Steel
• This marks the first time SMS group’s optimized cooling system, which reduces fuel consumption by up to 20 percent and plant off-gas by more than 30 percent, will be deployed in China
• The projects will enable efficient, reliable, and more environmentally responsible pellet production
• Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2027

SMS group has been awarded two separate contracts for the supply of two large-scale, travelling grate pelletizing plants in Hebei, China. The plants will be delivered to two different end users, both belonging to Jinan Steel Group—Ganglu Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (2.4 million tons per year) and Jinan Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd (2.7 million tons per year).

The travelling grate pelletizing plants will be built in the customers’ steelworks in Hebei province, with the Ganglu plant located in Tangshan and the Jinan plant in Wu’An. The projects are driven by the customers’ environmental requirements and aimed at establishing reliable, efficient, and high-quality pellet production within their existing steelmaking operations. A key highlight of these two projects is that SMS will deploy its optimized thermal cooling system for the first time in China, allowing off-gas to circulate within the system without wasting exhaust gas, making the system extremely energy-efficient as well as reducing fuel consumption by up to 20 percent and plant off-gas by more than 30 percent. In addition, SMS will effectively support the customer’s project timeline by shortening the delivery time to a record eleven months. 

SMS Agglomeration will deliver the core travelling grate pelletizing technology and the Pretium control system for both plants. As part of SMS’s digital furnace concept, Pretium provides the automation foundation for KPI-oriented plant operation. It supports process-relevant control functions, operator training during construction and ramp-up, and the use of advanced digital applications to help optimize production, energy consumption, emissions, and plant availability.

Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology Co. Ltd. (BSIET) will act as the EPC contractor for the projects, thereby combining SMS’s advanced pelletizing technology with BSIET’s proven engineering and construction capabilities. SMS’s agglomeration business and BSIET have successfully worked together on previous projects in China, and these orders continue this established cooperation model following the extension of our joint cooperation agreement earlier this year.

“Strong partnerships build strong industries. This first project win in China since SMS Agglomeration became part of SMS group is a strong proof point of the value we can deliver together — combining proven pelletizing technology, reliable execution, and digital capabilities to support efficient and more sustainable ironmaking,” says Attaul Ahmad, Vice President Agglomeration, SMS group.

“Profound engineering strength supports industrial upgrading. These two large-scale travelling grate pelletizing projects integrate a mature engineering technology system, full-chain EPC execution capabilities, and digital engineering implementation concepts, delivering efficient, reliable, and low-carbon pelletizing production platforms for our clients, and helping the blast furnace iron-making process move toward a more sustainable new stage of development,” says Wu Liyun, Chairman of BSIET. 

By combining long-standing process expertise with modern automation and digital enablement, SMS’s travelling grate pelletizing technology supports stable, transparent, and efficient plant operation from day one. This project marks another important milestone in SMS’s commitment to advancing state-of-the-art pelletizing in China, combining strong partnerships, digital capabilities, and proven technology to support the next generation of efficient and more sustainable iron and steel production.