Steel Mills
JSW Restarts Texas Plate and Pipe Mill Ahead of Schedule: CEO
Written by Michael Cowden
February 25, 2021
JSW Steel USA resumed operations at its Baytown, Texas, plate and pipe mill on Feb. 25–earlier than expected, the company’s top executive said.
And the steelmaker remains on track to begin melting at its electric-arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio, in March, JSW Steel USA CEO Mark Bush told Steel Market Update.
“We restarted our Baytown, Texas, facility today, ahead of schedule,” Bush said. “I am proud of the entire JSW Steel USA team for how diligently and safely they have worked over the past months to bring our facilities back online.
“This is an exciting time within our company and our industry,” he said. “The JSW Steel team is looking forward to re-entering the market and supporting our customers.”
JSW Steel USA idled its Mingo Junction and Baytown mills in 2020 in response to poor market demand following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also took the downtime to make upgrades to the Ohio mill’s EAF and caster.
The company had initially expected to restart both plants in March.
The Baytown mill makes plate, some of which it sells to third parties and some of which it uses to feed its large-diameter pipe mill. It does not have melting capability.
The Mingo Junction mill makes slab and hot-rolled coil. Its EAF has a capacity of 1.5 million tons per year, according to the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s 2021 Directory of Iron and Steel Plants.
Steel Market Update’s average plate price stands at $1,070 per ton ($53.50/cwt), up nearly 6% from $1,010 per ton a month ago and up 22% from $875 per ton at the beginning of the year.
SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price is at $1,210 per ton–an all-time high. It is also up 7% from $1,130 per ton a month ago and up 23% from $985 per ton at the beginning of the year.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Michael Cowden
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