Order received for TRT Generating System in Brazil

Tokyo, March 24, 2008 — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has received an order for a top pressure recovery turbine (TRT) generating system with a capacity of 22,020 kW from the Brazilian steel company Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN). The system is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2009.

The TRT generating system is driven by the exhaust gas pressure generated from the steelworks’ blast furnace and converted into electricity using a turbine. In addition to energy savings, noise is reduced when gas passes through the turbine. Because of the system’s environmentally friendly features, TRT generating systems have been adopted for all large blast furnaces in Japan.

Kawasaki’s TRT generating system is unique in that it doesn’t rely on a conventional governing valve to control the blast furnace’s top pressure, instead employing the turbine’s variable stator blades. This method does not control the gas flow rate from the blast furnace by adjusting the valves, but adopts a method that continuously adjusts the angle of the blades. This enables efficient, low-noise generation with minimal energy loss, even when the gas flow rate and pressure from the blast furnace change.

In Brazil, demand for power has recently risen considerably, leading steel plants to introduce their own power sources for electricity supplies. The order for a TRT generating system from CSN reflects this shift in Brazil’s socioeconomic status.

Kawasaki has already sold 41 TRT generating systems around the world, demonstrating their high reputation. In Brazil, the systems have been delivered to CST (capacity: 20,000 kW), Gerdau Açominas (11,340 kW) and Usiminas (18,800 kW).