BlueScope will restart its fire-ravaged sinter plant next week, with the new structure built to withstand a significant increase in temperature.
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The October 13 fire, which caused a fibreglass chute at the Port Kembla plant to collapse, was caused by a much hotter temperature of gas than normal in the stack, BlueScope's general manager of manufacturing John Nowlan said.
The hot gas in the stack was probably the result of a stagnant char zone within the waste gas cleaning plant.
Mr Nowlan said the cost of the cleaning plant reconstruction was within the original estimate of $10 million to $12 million.
Equipment testing has been carried out before the restart, which will involve reconnecting the sinter plant.
"The replacement stack is made of steel, a non-flammable material which can withstand significantly hotter conditions than the original fibreglass stack," Mr Nowlan said.
"BlueScope is committed to implementing a comprehensive suite of measures to mitigate against a similar incident occurring in the future."
A short period of visible emissions are likely during the restart, but a testing program will continue to monitor the output.
The move comes after concerns were raised about health effects arising from the fire.
Under stringent conditions set by the Environment Protection Authority for the restart, BlueScope published emissions data on its website.