Steel Mills

US Steel Wants to Build EAF at Fairfield
Written by John Packard
February 4, 2014
Mario Longhi, CEO of U.S. Steel announced to those on the US Steel conference call that the company has started the process of replacing the existing blast furnace at the Fairfield, Alabama facility with a brand new electric arc furnace (EAF).
During the call, Mr. Longhi advised that the expect the permitting process to take 9-12 months. If approved, the expect construction could begin by the 3rd Quarter 2015 and would be completed by mid-2017.
The EAF would replace the sole blast furnace at the USS Fairfield facility which is capable of producing 6,000 tons a day or 2.19 million tons per year. The new EAF would have a capacity of 1.1 million tons which means the company anticipates eliminating 1.0-1.1 million tons of raw steel production at the Fairfield, Alabama facility. Even so, the company does not believe they will be giving up any customers in the process as they can be covered through other facilities. The company is currently running at 80 percent of capacity with their existing equipment.
The substrate coming off the new EAF would be focused on their pipe and tube operations.
Mr. Longhi believes the addition of the EAF would improve the company’s raw materials position and reduce their exposure to coke.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Mills

Hybar lowers output forecast, owning up to EAF startup delay
Hybar LLC’s rebar mill in Osceola, Ark., is now melting scrap and will soon be fulfilling orders, according to CEO David Stickler, despite a six-to-eight-week delay caused by commissioning the world’s first Aura electrical system.

Steel Dynamics guides to more metal, more money in Q3
Steel Dynamics Inc. is bullish heading into the close of the third quarter, with all three of its operating segments tracking higher.

AHMSA opens doors to potential buyers as $1.3B asset auction nears
AHMSA is opening its doors to potential buyers to tour its steel plant and mining operations in northern Mexico in preparation for the next stage of its bankruptcy process: the auction of its assets.

USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.