Steel Mills
North Star BlueScope Celebrates Expansion Project During Board Visit
Written by Laura Miller
May 13, 2022
North Star BlueScope officially celebrated its expansion project and the commissioning of its new EAF meltshop this week in Delta, Ohio.
The project, which will add 850,000 metric tons (roughly 937,000 short tons) of annual hot rolled sheet capacity once complete, was originally announced in August 2019. It was delayed slightly when, in April 2020, BlueScope said it would reschedule construction and installation for six months in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new EAF – the minimill’s third – was officially commissioned during the second half of 2021 (during the first half of Australian parent company’s BlueScope Steel Ltd.’s 2022 fiscal year which ends June 30). This week’s celebration was on the occasion of a visit by BlueScope‘s board of directors, the first visit to the mill since the Covid outbreak.
Final construction and commissioning of a second caster is still progressing, a BlueScope official told SMU.
Production of the first coil is expected next month, with an 18-month ramp up to the full run rate after that.
When announcing the expansion project in 2019, BlueScope managing director and CEO Mark Vassella said that the project has future potential growth, through possible debottlenecking, to add a further 500,000 metric tons per year of steelmaking capacity.
By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Laura Miller
Read more from Laura MillerLatest in Steel Mills
USS, Nippon Steel quiet as litigation deadline approaches
There has been little word from U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel, or the White House since President Trump endorsed the companies’ “partnership” on social media and celebrated it at the May 30 rally outside Pittsburgh.
AISI: April mill shipments fall, sheet down YTD
US steel mills saw a decline in shipments from March to April.
Hybar rolls first rebar, ramping up Arkansas mill commissioning
The startup steelmaker produced its first rebar at its greenfield steel mill in Osceola, Ark., marking a key milestone by completing construction in 22 months.
Goncalves: Despite higher tariffs, two Cliffs mills to remain idled
Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said he would keep one mill idled and still plans to idle another despite increased protections from Section 232 tariffs doubling to 50%.
Trump says Section 232 tariff on steel, aluminum to double to 50% at Pennsylvania rally celebrating Nippon-USS deal
At a rally celebrating a “planned partnership” between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, President Trump announced higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States, and revealed few more details on Nippon’s investment in USS’ operations.