Danieli Corus has signed a contract with Severstal to complete the furnace reactor and the gas cleaning system for Blast Furnace No. 3 in Cherepovets, Russia, on a design and supply basis. The furnace was idled and dismantled in 2007, but the original rebuild project was never completed.

This project will increase Severstal's production capacity by up to 2.9 million tons per year, and accommodate the lack of hot metal production during future renovation projects in the Blast Furnace section of the site.

In 2005 Danieli Corus participated in the project of reconstructing Blast Furnace No. 4 with the installation of a "Hoogovens" design cooling and lining system. Following the outstanding performances achieved, Severstal decided to apply this technology to the other blast furnaces.

This cooling and lining design is based on machined copper plate coolers in combination with high–conductivity graphite, the only design with proven capability to achieve campaigns in excess of 20 years regardless of ironmaking process circumstances.

The "Hoogovens" design will be installed in the bosh, belly and lower stack. The tapholes will be cooled using copper staves. The furnace will be rebuilt with a 3290 m³ useful volume and 11.9 m hearth diameter. A technologically-advanced top gas cleaning system based on a tangential cyclone and a forced air–cooled iron trough will also be installed.

Start of hot metal production is expected by late 2020.