Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant

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Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant (淸津製鋼所, 청진제강소), also known as Seishan Iron and Steel Works (predecessor), Chongjin Works, Japan Iron Manufacturing Company - Seishan/Chongjin works (predecessor), Kinsaku Steel Works, is a steel plant in Chongjin, North Hamgyeong, North Korea that operates blast furnace (BF), basic oxygen furnace (BOF), electric arc furnace (EAF), and direct reduced iron (DRI) technology.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Chongjin, North Hamgyeong, North Korea:

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  • Location: Chongjin, North Kamkyo, North Hamgyeong Province, North Korea
  • Coordinates (WGS 84): 41.777936, 129.792399 (exact)

Background

History

In 1942, Japan Iron and Manufacturing Company began a plant in Chongjin with 2 500-tonne blast furnaces (BF) (total capacity of 1000 TPD), 2 batteries of 57 coke ovens (total capacity of 1240 TPD), and 2 7-tonne electric arc furnaces (EAF).[1] There was also a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant on site, founded by Mitsubishi Mining Company in 1939.[1] During the Seven-year Plan (1961-70), the existing two large blast furnaces were enlarged and three medium-size blast furnaces were installed subsequent to 1965.[2]

Steel for weapons development

In March 2020, Daily NK reported that North Korea is aiming to increase its production of steel for weapons development, with the goal of selling these weapons abroad for foreign currency.[3]

Plant Details

Table 1: General Plant Details

Start date Power source Iron ore source Coal source
1942[4] unknown Musan mine[4] unknown

Table 2: Ownership and Parent Company Information

State-owned entity status Parent company Parent company PermID Parent company GEM ID Owner Owner company PermID Owner company GEM ID
Full Government of North Korea 5001424116 E100001000599 Government of North Korea[5] 5001424116 E100001000599

Table 3: Process and Products

Steel product category Steel products ISO 14001 ISO 50001 Main production equipment
semi-finished, finished rolled[6] slab, plate[6] unknown unknown BF; DRI; BOF; EAF

Table 4: Plant-level Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Basic oxygen furnace steelmaking capacity Electric arc furnace steelmaking capacity Nominal crude steel capacity (total)
operating 1500[7] 500[7] 2000[7]

Table 5: Plant-level Crude Iron Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Blast furnace capacity Sponge iron/DRI capacity Nominal iron capacity (total)
operating 1699[8][4] 0[7] 1699[8][4][7]

Table 6: Upstream Products Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

Sinter Pellets
NF NF

Table 7: Actual Plant-level Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year BOF production EAF production
2019 unknown unknown
2020 unknown unknown
2021 unknown unknown
2022 unknown unknown
2023 unknown unknown

Table 8: Actual Plant-level Crude Iron Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year DRI production
2019 unknown
2020 unknown
2021 unknown
2022 unknown
2023 unknown

Unit Details

Table 9: Blast Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Current capacity (ttpa) Most recent relining
unknown BF (1) operating[8] 1942[4] 365[8][4] 1960[8]
unknown BF (2) operating[8] 1942[4] 365[8][4] 1960[8]
unknown BF (3) operating[8] 1970[8] 323[8][4]
unknown BF (4) operating[8] 1970[8] 323[8][4]
unknown BF (5) operating[8] 1970[8] 323[8][4]

Table 10: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Furnace type Current capacity (ttpa) Reductant
unknown DRI (1) operating[7] 1939[4] Krupp-Renn rotary furnace[8] rotary kiln[8] 0[7] coal[4]

Table 11: Electric Arc Furnace Details

Unit name Status Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown EAF (1) operating[6] 500[7]

Table 12: Electric Arc Furnace Feedstock Details

Unit name Scrap-based % scrap % DRI % sponge iron (unknown if DRI or HBI) % basic/merchant pig iron % granulated pig iron % other iron
unknown EAF (1) None unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown

Table 13: Basic Oxygen Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Current capacity (ttpa) Current size
unknown BOF (1) operating[6] Bessemer[8] 500[7] 60.0 tonnes[8]
unknown BOF (2) operating[6] 1970[8] Bessemer[8] 500[7] 60.0 tonnes[8]
unknown BOF (3) operating[6] 1970[8] Bessemer[8] 500[7] 60.0 tonnes[8]

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of steel power plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Iron and Steel Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Iron and Steel Industry in Wartime japan, 1931-1945, Richard Lee Krause, East Central State College, 1968
  2. "Intelligence Memorandum: North Korea: The status of the iron and steel industry" (PDF). CIA.gov. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2025-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. N. Korea ramps up steel production for weapons development, Jang Seul Gi, Daily NK, Mar. 19, 2020, Retrieved on: May 27, 2020
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Richard Lee Krause (1968). "The Iron and Steel Industry in Wartime Japan, 1931-1945" (PDF). ShareOk.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-14.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125062243/https://www.nti.org/education-center/facilities/. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20220125160103/https://books.google.com/books?id=IrZFBAAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA9&lpg=RA2-PA9&dq=oecd+%28dr%29+slrn&source=bl&ots=MdkLDXw7U2&sig=ACfU3U2Q_eU6bL4H8TNiSyPEOk7IA-1VqA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjLp5bv3tLpAhVIj54KHcDJBQcQ6AEwAXoECAoQAQ. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 https://web.archive.org/web/20240912183022/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Developments_in_Steelmaking_Capacity_of/IrZFBAAAQBAJ?q=north+korea&gbpv=1. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 8.25 8.26 (PDF) https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85T00875R001700020006-2.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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