AM/NS Calvert Breaks Ground on New EAF

The project was greenlighted in December.

“We certainly could not have gained approvals for this investment without the support of our government and community stakeholders,” Oliveria said.

The EAF project is expected to create 200 direct and 100 indirect jobs, ArcelorMittal said.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey also cheered the development. “Alabama and the steel industry go hand in hand,” she said. “Shovels have officially hit the dirt, and I look forward to the advancements this project will bring.”

AM/NS Calvert is a 50-50 joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp.

The partners purchased the Alabama mill from ThyssenKrupp in 2014. The German steelmaker had completed construction of the plant in 2010–making it relatively new by North American standards.

The mill has capacity to produce 5.3 million tons per year of carbon flat-rolled steel. But it does not have a melt shop and so must re-roll slabs melted and cast elsewhere.

The new furnace will reduce AM/NS Calvert’s need for outside slabs and increase its ability to participate in publicly funded work–such as infrastructure projects–that require steel to be melted and poured in the United States.

AM/NS Calvert makes hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated sheet for a range of markets including automotive, construction, service centers and HVAC.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com