Steel Mills
New EAF for Liberty Steel Georgetown
Written by Sandy Williams
October 10, 2019
Liberty Steel USA will get a new $25 million electric arc furnace at its Georgetown, S.C., rolling mill next year. Georgetown’s aging EAF has an annual capacity of 500,000 metric tons, but actual production has fallen far short of that amount.
“We have a very efficient rolling mill at Georgetown and we now want to put a world-class melt shop behind it so we can achieve our goal to become the leading supplier of wire rod to the region and secure the long-term future of the site,” says Michael Setterdahl, chief executive officer of Liberty Steel USA.
Setterdahl said the facility’s EAF is running significantly behind the capabilities of the more modern rolling mill. The upgraded melt ship will boost billet quality and output substantially, said the company in a news release.
Liberty Steel USA plans to increase wire rod production at Georgetown to more than 400,000 MT per year to serve the automotive and construction industries. The rolling mill has an annual capability of 680,000 MT per year.
The installation of the new EAF will include new electrical systems, improvements to water and natural gas supply and ancillary equipment to support improved melt shop operations, along with environmental permits for modifications to regulated processes. In addition, substantial structural upgrades, including strengthened foundations, will be required. Liberty Steel will work with Danieli Corp. on the upgrade.
The project is expected to take six to nine months, during which time Georgetown will source billets externally, including from its sister plant in Peoria, Ill.
Liberty House Group bought the idled Georgetown facility from ArcelorMittal in December 2017 and restarted production in mid-2018.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
USW seeks clarity on 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.
ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).
Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!
AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).