Ch'ollima Steel Complex steel plant
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Ch'ollima Steel Complex steel plant (천리마제강연합기업소, 千里馬製鋼聯合企業所), also known as Kangson Steel Works, Chollima Steel Works and Posan Iron Works, Gangson Steel Mill, is a steel plant in Nampo, South Pyongan, North Korea that operates electric arc furnace (EAF) technology.
Location
The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Nampo, South Pyongan, North Korea:
- Location: Kangseo District, Nampo, South Pyongan Province, North Korea
- Coordinates (WGS 84): 38.926348, 125.582628 (exact)
Background
History
Ch'ollima Steel Complex was constructed as the Kangsǒn Steel Works, while Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945. The plant was rebuilt with support from former USSR and China.[1]
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.[2]
In December 2024, the steel shop started increasing the amount of molten iron per charge with the method of high-temperature oxidation by continuous charging method and oxygen blowing while boosting the cooperation between shifts and shortening the melting time. The plant is also planning the construction of a new UHP electric arc furnace and a base for producing electrodes with a capacity of thousands of tons.[3]
Plant Details
Table 1: General Plant Details
| Start date | Workforce size | Power source |
|---|---|---|
| 1956[4] | 8000[5] | December (Nampo) power station[6] |
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[7] | 5001424116 | E100001000599 |
Table 3: Process and Products
| Steel product category | Steel products | ISO 14001 | ISO 50001 | Main production equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| semi-finished, finished rolled[8][9] | stainless, wire rod, plate, hot rolled[8][9] | unknown | unknown | EAF |
Table 4: Plant-level Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Capacity operating status1 | Electric arc furnace steelmaking capacity | Nominal crude steel capacity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| construction | 0 | 0 |
| operating | 752[10] | 752[10] |
Table 5: Actual Plant-level Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Year | EAF production |
|---|---|
| 2019 | unknown |
| 2020 | unknown |
| 2021 | unknown |
| 2022 | unknown |
| 2023 | unknown |
Unit Details
Table 6: Electric Arc Furnace Details
| Unit name | Status | Construction date | Furnace manufacturer and model | Current capacity (ttpa) | Current size (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unknown EAF (1) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (2) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (3) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (4) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (5) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (6) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (7) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (8) | operating[11] | – | – | 94[10] | 120.0[9] |
| unknown EAF (9) | construction[12][13] | 2024[12] | UHP electric arc furnace[12] | 0 | – |
Table 7: 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 |
| unknown EAF (2) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (3) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (4) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (5) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (6) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (7) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (8) | None | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| unknown EAF (9) | None | unknown | – | – | – | – | – |
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
- ↑ North Korea Handbook, Yonhap News Agency, Seoul, M.E. Sharpe, Dec. 27, 2002
- ↑ N. Korea ramps up steel production for weapons development, Jang Seul Gi, Daily NK, Mar. 19, 2020, Retrieved on: May 27, 2020
- ↑ "Chollima Steel Complex Boosts Production". www.oananews.org. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220319190954/https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/chollima-steelworks-north-korea-travel-guide. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://apimagesblog.com/blog/2017/1/10/kims-call-on-economy-has-north-korea-scrambling.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220318134144/https://gem.wiki/December_%28Nampo%29_power_station. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 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) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20200927005529/http://www.kiep.go.kr/cmm/fms/FileDown.do?atchFileId=00000000000001318050&fileSn=0&bbsId=search_report. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 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) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20221023073728/https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2017-18/myb3-2017-18-north-korea.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-10-23.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 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) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 https://www.oananews.org/node/692675.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2024/202406/news16/20240616-10ee.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
