Italian AFV Beltrame Group, one of the largest European producers of steel and special steel bars, is investing over EUR 11 million in modernizing the rolling mill within its Donalam steel plant in Calarasi, southern Romania.

The company will replace the current technology, dating from the 70s and 80s, which will reduce carbon emissions by up to 40% and increase the competitiveness of steel bars produced in Romania.

The investment will lead to significant cuts in the quantities of natural gas, electricity and heat used while also reducing the amount of steel lost in the production process by about 1,440 tonnes per year (over 1% of the net production).

"In addition to the ongoing EUR 11.3 million investment, we are analyzing a much larger investment of over EUR 100 million that would change the paradigm of the steel industry, which has been considered for a long time as extremely polluting. We have the ambition to have in Romania, in a few years, the 'greenest' steel plant in Europe," said Carlo Beltrame, CEO Donalam Calarasi.

The new investment will be made from the company's funds and should be completed by 2022.

Recently, Donalam also completed an investment worth EUR 4 million in special equipment for treating steel bars.

In 2019, the company reported a EUR 78 million turnover for a sales volume of 110,000 tonnes.

Donalam is one of the leading players in the hot rolled steel bar industry in Europe. AFV Beltrame Group founded the company in 2006, and a year later, in 2007, it acquired a rolling mill on the platform of the former Siderca steel plant.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)