Steel Mills
Cleveland-Cliffs Idles AK Coal Indefinitely
Written by Sandy Williams
April 7, 2020
Cleveland-Cliffs will idle AK Coal due to reduced demand for coal in internal operations resulting from manufacturing shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company said in a statement: “Cleveland-Cliffs continues to evaluate internal operational requirements for metallurgical coal required for steelmaking. Significant reductions in manufacturing in the United States resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among our automotive clients, have dramatically reduced our internal need for coal, leading to the indefinite idling of the coal mine. The coal leadership team will maintain the assets and ensure environmental compliance with state and federal regulations. Longer term options, including a sale of the asset, will be evaluated during this indefinite idle of AK Coal.”
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves divested the company of its final coal operations at the end of 2015 in favor of a pellet-centric strategy. Acquisition of AK Steel last year included the coal operations in Somerset, Pa.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
USW seeks clarity on USS 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).