Steel Mills
Big River Steel Wins Air Permit Suit
Written by Sandy Williams
March 23, 2014
Big River Steel is cleared to begin construction. Mississippi County Judge Charles Moulton ruled in favor of the John Correnti led Big River Steel in an air quality permit lawsuit filed by rival steel-maker Nucor Corp.
An air permit was provisionally granted on Sept 18, 2013 but subsequently challenged by Nucor on the basis that the application process was flawed and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (AEDQ) did not have adequate time to properly review air quality concerns. In January 2014, a construction stay was lifted by the ADEQ.
The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission will review Moulton’s ruling at a meeting on March 28. Pending approval by the commission, the ruling this week clears the way for Big River Steel CEO John Correnti to move forward with building of the $1.1 steel mill in Osceola, Ark.
“If the commission rules (in support of Moulton’s decision), we feel we’re on solid ground,” Correnti said in quote in The Republic. “Not only would I feel we’re on solid ground, but also our lenders and all our equity partners would. Nucor can do what Nucor wants to do. They can keep up this legal gymnastics, if you will, until the cows come home.”
Construction won’t start until at least June, said Correnti, and will take approximately 22 months to complete.
The Big River Steel mini-mill will have an electric arc furnace and capable of producing 1.7 million tons of steel per year. The specialty steels produced will be targeted for users in the automotive, oil and gas fracturing, and electrical industries. The plant is expected to employ 525 workers at an average salary of $75,000 per year.
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).