Nippon Steel Corp is contemplating starting an adjustment of production from its Oita works in October while stockpiling slabs there to prepare for repairs on the Oita No1 blast furnace costing JPY 40 billion, in the spring of 2009.

As per report Nippon Steel plans to reline the Oita No1 blast furnace for 67 days from March 7 to May 13 next year, during which time the hot strip and heavy plate mills at the Oita works are due to undergo repairs as well. On the agenda are repairs on the hot strip mill for two weeks in March and those on the heavy plate mill in May.

The Oita No1 blast furnace will have an enlarged inside volume of 5,775m3 after the repairs, representing the world's largest blast furnace as in the case of the Oita No2 unit.

The relining of the Oita No1 blast furnace is scheduled to take 67 days, which will result in a virtual production loss of 670,000 tonnes in total if lost production amounts to 10,000 tonne per day.

The repairs are forecast to result in lost shipments of steel products totaling 1,000,000 tonnes, thereby having a more impact on NSC's steel exports than on its domestic shipments.