Steel Mills

AHMSA Restarts Monclova EAF

September 23, 2022

Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) has restarted its electric arc furnace (EAF) in Monclova, Coahuila, which had been down since July due to a failure at its electrical substation.

Work to repair the substation was slowed by difficulties in sourcing the right equipment, which in turn delayed the restart of the EAF, according to a statement from the Mexican flat-rolled steelmaker

The EAF is expected to reach its normal run rate in October, but production will be limited this month to approximately 15,000 tons. The furnace has an annual steelmaking capacity of 1.2 million metric tons.

The furnace restart comes at an interesting time when many other North American steelmakers are idling furnaces or taking downtime for maintenance as the market slows and tries to find a clear direction.

AHMSA makes hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, plate, tinplate, and structural shapes, according to its website.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.