Steel Mills

Stelco BF Upgrade Near Completion

Written by Sandy Williams


Canadian steel producer Stelco Holdings is nearing the finish line on its comprehensive blast furnace upgrade and reline project at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario.

The project is current on budget and on schedule for completion in early October 2020. The upgrades will create “what we believe will be the first smart blast furnace of its kind in North America,” said the company in a press release.

It is the first reline and upgrade for the Lake Erie Works blast furnace and will ensure the efficient operation of the technologically improved furnace for the next 30-40 years. The upgrades are expected to increase hot metal production and quality up to 300,000 net tons per year and reduce costs by a corresponding $30 per net ton.

“We are pleased with the extremely hard work of our employees and contractors on this once-in-a-generation project that we have undertaken in the middle of the global pandemic to create a best-in-class blast furnace at our Lake Erie Works facility,” said  Executive Chairman and CEO Alan Kestenbaum.

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