CHELYABINSK IRON AND STEEL PLANT BAKAL, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B07179A000100480001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 1, 1978
• Content Type: REPORT

National Top Secret
Foreign
Chelyabinsk Iron and
Steel Plant Bakal, USSR
Top Secret
Basic Imagery Interpretation Report
CS-13/0013/78
0 Copy
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/04: CIA-RDP78BO7179A000100480001-6
 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
National Foreign Assessment Center
Office of Imagery Analysis
UTM COORDINATES
NA
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES
55-16-ION 061-25-43E
USATC, Series 200, Sheet 0164-3HL, 5th ed., May 77, Scale 1:200,000
The Chelyabinsk Iron and Steel Plant Bakal is probably the sixth largest
producer of steel in the Soviet Union. The plant produced between 6,000,000
and 7,000,000 tons of steel in 1976. Plant products include steel cable, pipe,
plate, sheets, bars, structural sections, ball bearings, and tool steel. An alloy
steel which is apparently suitable for use in rocket and missile motor cases
and chromium and molybdenum alloy steels are reportedly produced at Chelyabinsk.
Major construction at Chelyabinsk since mid-1972 has consisted of completion
of a rolling mill, an addition to a rolling mill, an addition to an unidentified
fabrication building, and an addition to a probable refractory brick plant. In
April 1978, a large, unidentified building was in the early stage of construction
and a rolling mill was being expanded.
Eight detached civil defense shelters have been identified at the iron and
steel plant and two probable basement shelters were under construction in
April 1978. In addition, five detached shelters have been identified at two
nearby plants--four at a probable ferro-concrete products plant and one at an
unidentified plant.
The information and judgments presented in this publication were derived
principally from analysis of imagery. Although information from other sources
has been included, this publication does not reflect an all-source assessment
and has not been formally coordinated within CIA.
IS 78-10204K 25X1
RCS-13/0013/78 I
Top Secret August 1978
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Top Secret RUFF
This report includes a general discussion of the plant and a table listing
its major facilities and civil defense shelters. The table is keyed to a photo-
graph of the plant.
HELYABINSK
/BALANDIN ao~
AIRFIELD
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AIRFIEL
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APPRO1f `LE EV 850
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CHELIRFIE (/BAK L
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~AND_ OWERIPfANT
BAKA TROYTETS
f
existence
reported
-2-
Top Secret
bmldings
aste pond
2E.
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Top Secret RUFF
The Chelyabinsk Iron and Steel Plant Bakal is located about 2.2
kilometers east of the Miass River on the north side of the city of
Chelyabinsk in Chelyabinsk Oblast (Figure 1). The plant is served by an
extensive road and rail network and is secured by walls and fences.
Steam and power are provided by the colocated Chelyabinsk Heat and Power
Plant Bakalstroy TETS. The iron and steel plant covers an area of
approximately 1,970 hectares. A probable ferro-concrete products plant
and an unidentified plant are located next to the iron and steel plant.
The plant was built during 1941-42 with equipment and tools taken
from plants evacuated in the west ahead of the German army. The first
two blast furnaces installed at Chelyabinsk were taken from the iron and
steel plant at Lipetsk. 1/ The plant began operating in 1943, and by
1978 it employed 35,000 people. 1,2/
The Chelyabinsk Iron and Steel Plant Bakal is a fully integrated
iron and steel plant and is probably the sixth largest producer of steel
in the USSR. 3,4/ In April 1978, the major facilities at the plant
included one sintering building, a lime plant, nine coke oven batteries,
five blast furnaces (the most critical components of an iron and steel
plant), two open-hearth furnace buildings, one basic oxygen furnace
building, two electric furnace buildings, one probable electric furnace
building, and five rolling mills (Figure 2). Other facilities included
a coke byproducts plant, an air separation plant, a scrap metal pro-
cessing building, a slag processing plant, and a probable refractory
brick plant. Several buildings at the plant could not be identified.
According to various collateral sources, plant products include
steel cable, pipe, plate, sheets, bars, structural sections, ball
bearings, and tool steel. 5-8/ An alloy steel which is apparently
suitable for use in rocket and missile motor cases and chromium and
molybdenum alloy steels are reportedly produced at Chelyabinsk. 8,9/
An unusual type of coke oven battery which lacks both a coaling
tower and a larry car is located at Chelyabinsk. The lack of the tower
and car indicates that the ovens may be fed crushed coal by pipeline,
but this could not be confirmed on photography. -A coke oven battery of
this type has also been observed at the Temir-tau Metallurgical Plant
Karaganda. On March 1978 photography, several ovens of another coke
oven battery at Chelyabinsk appeared to be damaged and inoperable; the
other ovens in the same battery were operating.
Soviet sources state that one of the blast furnaces at Chelyabinsk
was remodeled during 1972-73. 10,11/ Construction activity was observed
at one of the blast furnaces on imagery of October 1972.
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Top Secret RUFF
Soviet sources also indicate that the Chelyabinsk plant is equipped
with a plasma-arc remelting furnace and nine electroslag remelting
furnaces. 8/ These furnaces are used to produce high-grade special
steels and could produce steel for missile or rocket motor cases.
Because no photographic signatures have been found which would enable
identification of buildings housing these types of furnaces, the loca-
tion of the furnaces could not be determined.
Major construction at Chelyabinsk since mid-1972 has consisted of
the completion of a rolling mill, an addition to a rolling mill, an
addition to an unidentified fabrication building, and an addition to a
probable refractory brick plant. In April 1978, a large unidentified
building was in the early stage of construction. The area covered by
the foundation of this new building indicates that, when completed, the
building may be a rolling mill. One of the plant's rolling mills was
undergoing expansion in April 1978.
Most of the major components of the plant were operating when
observed on photography from 1972 to 1978. Exceptions were the blast
furnace which underwent renovation in 1972 and the damaged coke ovens in
1978. The rolling mill constructed during 1972-78 appeared to be ex-
ternally complete in April 1978. However, much construction equipment
and activity were observed around the building in April 1978, indicating
that the rolling mill probably was not ready to begin operation.
Civil Defense Measures
Eight detached civil defense shelters have been identified at the
plant, and two probable basement shelters were under construction in
April 1978. Five detached shelters have been identified at two nearby
plants--four at a probable ferro-concrete products plant and one at an
unidentified plant. Table 1 lists the shelters by type, size, associ-
ation with plant facilities, location by geographic coordinates, and
approximate construction date. The shelters are indicated on Figure 2.
Two structures which are similar to detached civil defense shelters
are located next to two induced-draft cooling towers in the north corner
of the plant. The structures were built before February 1971 but have
never been covered with earth as shelters normally are. Although they
may simply provide access to underground equipment at the cooling
towers, these structures probably could be used for protection if nec-
essary. The structures were not observed at any other cooling towers at
the plant.
There is no photographic evidence indicating efforts to protect or
"harden" production facilities at the plant. Hardening measures taken
inside buildings for the protection of equipment obviously would not be
observable on overhead photography. Some storage tanks within the plant
have been buried, but this is a normal safety measure.
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Top Secret RUFF
Table 1. Major Facilities at Chelyabinsk
Iron and Steel Plant
(Keyed to Figure 2)
Item Facility
Raw Materials Processing
Sintering building ,
2 Coke and coke byproducts plant
Lime plant
Roof Cover
(sq m)
Remarks
2,085 Fuses particles of iron ore,
limestone, and coke into sinter
for use in blast furnaces.
Contains nine coke oven batteries
and equipment for processing
coke byproducts.
Contains two rotary kilns and six
vertical kilns. Processes
limestone for use in blast
furnaces and steel-making
furnaces. May also produce
cement.
Iron Production
4
Blast furnaces
5
Pig iron casting building
6
Pig iron casting building
7
Iron foundry
tee/ Production
16,880
8
Open-hearth furnace building
13,025
9
Open-hearth furnace building
22,765
10
Electric furnace building
26,345
11
Electric furnace building
15,990
12
Probable electric furnace building
16,510
13
Basic oxygen furnace building
Rolled Steel Production
22,370
14
Rolling mill
251,555
15
Rolling mill
87,855
16
Rolling mill
235,795
Addition under construction
35,210
17
Rolling mill
168,065
18
Rolling sill
Miscellaneous
66,965
19
Unidentified fabrication building
83,110
20
Air separation plant
21
Scrap metal processing building
17,795
22
Slag processing plant
23
Unidentified fabrication building
15,530
24
Unidentified fabrication building
22,715
25
Unidentified building under con-
struction
169,790
(estimated)
26
Probable refractory brick plant
27
Raw materials storage area
28
Thermal power plant
18,390
Item
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Five blast furnaces in a row
560 meters long centered on
coordinates 55-15-44N 061-26-
06E. Two furnaces have a volume
of 930 cubic meters, two have
a volume of 1,386 cubic meters,
and one has a volume of 1,719
cubic meters, 121
Two casting strands.
Two casting strands.
Contains at least five furnaces.
Contains at least six furnaces.
Contains three 110-ton furnaces, 13/
Produces blooms, billets, bars,
rounds, and squares. 14/
Produces blooms, billets, and
bars. 14/
Produces oxygen for use in blast
furnaces and steel-making furnaces.
Prepares scrap metal for use in
steel-making furnaces.
Possible rolling mill.
200-megawatt capacity. 15/
ti 1 Dc'cnse Shelters
Floor Space
Geographic
Dates First Seen
Under
Type
Association
(sq en)
Coordinates
Construction
Completed
Detached
Rolling mill
504
55-16-458
January 1974
June 1975
O61-25.26E
Probable
Rolling mill
1,296
55-17-038
April 1978
basement
061-26-26E
Detached
Rolling mill
5716
55-16-368
September 1976
June 1977
061-25-47E
Detached
Rolling mill
504
55-16-198
April 1973
January 1974
061-25-03E
Detached
Unidentified
504
55-16-078
June 1975
August 1975
building
061-25-27E
Detached
Unidentified
567
55-15-448
February 1972
building
061-25-30E
Probable
Unidentified
756
55-15-478
April 1978
basement
building
061 -25-1 SE
Detached
Coke production
378
55-16-088
April 1973
January 1914
area
061-26-455
Detached
Unidentified
567
55-15-258
February 1912
building
061-26-DOE
Detached
Locomotive
576
55-15-168
August 1915
March 1976
maintenance
061-26-ODE
Detached
building
Unidentified
378
55-15-158
February 1972
October 1972
building
061-24-475
Detached
Unidentified
048
55-15-148
February 1972
October 1972
building
061-24-46E
Detached
Unidentified
441
55-14-588
February 1972
October 1972
building
061-24-305
Detached
Unidentified
1,512
55-14-488
September 1976
June 1977
with ramp building
061-25-27E
Detached
Unidentified
189
55-1 4-208
February 1912
building
061-27-175
*Located Ill nearby plantn
Top Secret
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Top Secret RUFF
2. CIA.
25X
25X1
Documents
1. CIA.
August 1958 (CONFIDENTIAL
1978 (CONFIDENTIAL)
3. The New York Times, 26 February 1973 (UNCLASSIFIED)
4. Sovetskaya Rossiya, 16 January 1976 (UNCLASSIFIED)
5. "Weekly Economic Report," BBC Summary of World Broadcasts,
Part 1, The USSR, p. A13, 5 August 1977 UNCLASSIFIED)
6. CIA. Location and Production of Soviet
Metallurgical Plants, 26 April 1978 (CONFIDENTIAL)
Top Secret
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0 Top Secret RUFF
7. Cordero, Raymond, Iron and Steel Works of the World, Metal
Bulletin Books Limited, 1974 (UNCLASSIFIED)
8. CIA. Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant
Engineer's Comments Regarding Electroslag Remelting Steel Production
and Plasma Arc Remelting Furnaces at Chelyabinsk, 7 June 1978
CONFIDENTIAL
9. CIA. Construction of Steel Alloy
Manufacturin Facility in Chel abinsk, 12 December 1974 CONFIDENTIAL/
10. Tulin, N. A. "The Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant Is 30 Years
Old," Stal', No. 3, March 1973, pp. 193-194 (UNCLASSIFIED)
11. "Blast Furnace Remodeling," Sotsialisticheskaya Industriya,
No. 12, 14 January 1973 (UNCLASSIFIED)
12. Interior. Tri Re ort, Visit to USSR, 6 May 1959 (CONFIDENTIAL
13. DOD. IIR 1 771 0285 66, Chelyabinsk Steel Plant Imeni Ilychi
in Chelyabinsk, 21 March 1966 (CONFIDENTIAL
14. CIA. (Title Unknown), 28 October 1958
(CONFIDENTIAL)
15. CIA. Report ERRP 75-14, USSR: Distribution of Electical
Power Capacity 1970-75, May 1975 (CONFIDENTIAL)
COMIREX NO 3
Support Number 480813EN
25X1
1
25X1
The author of this paper isl lof the Economic Resources 25X1
Division, Office of Imager Analysis. Comments and queries are welcome E
and should be directed to 25X1
Top Secret 25X1
^
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Top Secret