Steel Mills
Cliffs Begins Demolition of Ashland Works
Written by David Schollaert
February 8, 2022
Cleveland-Cliffs’ Ashland Works, once the lifeblood of four-generations of residents in the Kentucky community, is now a pile of rubble.
The steel mill had operated for the better part of 100 years on the Ohio River. Its Amanda blast furnace was decomissioned in 2015. And the entire mill was permanently closed in 2019, shortly before Cleveland-Cliffs acquired AK Steel.
Despite initial discussions and speculation about restarting the mill to produce pig iron, ultimately the decision was made by CEO Lourenco Goncalves to raze the facility.
Though it remains unclear what the future holds for the site, the demolition is a cash positive project for the Cleveland-based steelmaker.
Cliffs did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com
David Schollaert
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