Around 220 million euro for modernization project at ZKS - Commissioning ceremony held for new Battery B3

The guests attending included Franz-Josef Berg, mayor of the City of Dillingen, members of the supervisory and management boards of the two shareholders, the Managing Directors of ZKS, numerous ZKS employees, and representatives of many of the suppliers and contractors entrusted with the implementation of the project – around 50 % of all contracts for the new battery were placed with firms from Saarland and the surrounding region. Construction of the new battery, consisting of fifty coke-ovens featuring ultra-modern environmental protection technology, is a significant element in the programme of overall modernization started at ZKS in 2007 and scheduled to receive total investments of around 220 million euro. This series of projects will optimize coke production and reduce emissions - state-of-the-art pollution-prevention technologies have been installed in Battery B3, for example independent pressure control in each individual coke oven chamber, a new system of charging-gas capture and transfer, and a new bag-filter installation. The by-products plant, the so-called "white side", i.e. all systems and plants for cleaning of the coke-oven gas and recovery of other useful products, has also been completely overhauled and all technology modernized to meet the very latest standards – yet another significant step in improving environmental protection at Dillingen. Completion of the new Battery B3 is to be followed by the refurbishing of one of the existing coke-oven batteries (B1). Shut down some time ago, this battery will now be completely rebuilt, to the same standards as Battery B3. Once Battery B1 has been recommissioned, the second existing battery, B2, will be taken out of service. This significant investment project will implement the most modern coke-oven and environmental safety technology, with ZKS's original annual production capacity of some 1.3 million tonnes of coke being reached by late 2011 or early 2012. Zentralkokerei Saar GmbH, Dillingen: Zentralkokerei Saar GmbH (ZKS), Dillingen, is a jointly owned subsidiary of Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke ("Dillinger Hütte"), Dillingen, and Saarstahl AG, Völklingen (each holds 50 % of the shares in ZKS). The company was founded in 1982 and produces coke exclusively for use in the blast furnaces operated by ROGESA Roheisengesellschaft Saar mbH (also a jointly owned subsidiary of Dillinger Hütte and Saarstahl AG; again, each shareholder owns 50 % of the company). ZKS has no employees of its own; all the staff necessary for operation of the coking plant are provided by Dillinger Hütte.