XEAL will invest more than 1.5 million euros in 2021 in modernizing the ferrosilicon furnace in Cee.

• This investment is part of the €28m plan for the development of the company's 4 strategic axes: safety, environment, asset care, and efficiency and productivity.
• In the ferroalloys division, investments are expected to amount to AROUND 4 million euros this year, in addition to the 1.9 million euros already made in 2020.
• after the investment it will be one of the most important ferrosilicon furnaces in the world.ÁEurope's most competitive ferrosilicon furnaces

Xallas Electricidad y Aleaciones, XEAL, is continuing with its announced investment plan to invest 28 million euros between 2020 and 2024, 14 million in each of the company's divisions:  ferroalloys and energy.

The company has been working for months on the preparation of the project for the complete refurbishment of the ferrosilicon furnace at the Cee plant. The reform will consist of the modernization and automation of the casting area of the current H12 furnace and the total investment will exceed one and a half million euros. In April, work began with the different suppliers for the production of the equipment to be installed and the investment is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 in a scheduled shutdown for the installation of the equipment.

This investment is part of the future plan announced by the company to invest 14 million euros in the ferroalloys division over the next five years, in line with its four strategic axes: maximum commitment to health and safety in the performance of its workers' activities; respect for the environment and compliance with environmental regulations; long-term care and maintenance of assets; and improvements to efficiency and productivity to be increasingly competitive.

Specifically, this comprehensive renovation of H12 focuses on the last of the 4 axes mentioned: improving efficiency and productivity to increase competitiveness and will turn the CEE furnace into one of the most competitive in Europe.

This investment comes in addition to the improvements being carried out at the silico-manganese furnaces in Cee, where renovation work is being undertaken for the adaptation and expansion of environmental control systems, among others, and are part of the plan to invest some 4 million euros in 2021 in the ferroalloys division, in addition to the 1.9 million euros already executed during 2020.

María Couto, XEAL's CEO, stated that "we are committed to carrying out our investment plan and, consequently, improving our competitive position in the market".