JM Steel announced that it will be part of Steel Dynamics’ new flat-roll steel mill in Sinton, Texas – a move that will substantially expand JM Steel’s footprint over the next two years. The facility, scheduled to be operational in June 2021, will have an estimated annual capacity of 3.0 million tons and include next-generation electric-arc furnace (EAF) technology. JM Steel's facility has plans to include three slitting lines capable of producing 30,000 tons of steel per month. It will also include two roll-forming lines and a stamping press capable of producing 260,000 bolts per month to serve mining markets in Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile and Peru.

Jingye Group, a Chinese steelmaker, acquired British Steel’s facilities in the U.K. and the Netherlands, a move that will secure approximately 3,200 jobs. Jingye will invest approximately $1.5 billion in the business. Initiatives include: the development of an electric-arc furnace (EAF) in Teesside; the construction of a new 250-MW power plant to serve the Scunthorpe site; investment in the rolling mills to produce high-quality steel products; the construction of a new rebar line; and enhancing the current rail mill.

Tenova, a Techint Group company, received a contract from Nippon Steel for the supply of an electric-arc furnace (EAF). The furnace is the first one for Nippon Steel in Japan. It will be installed at its Hirohata works. Production is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2022. According to Tenova, the new installation will save the steelmaker approximately 400,000 tons/year of CO₂ emissions.

North Star BlueScope Steel will add a melt shop to its steelmaking facility in Delta, Ohio. Danieli will supply a 195-ton electric-arc furnace (EAF), two ladle metallurgy furnaces (LMFs) and Pulse-Jet fume-treatment plant. The EAF will be equipped with Danieli’s Q-Melt heat suite for adaptive melting process control. It will also include pressurized water-cooled roof and panels and injection technology. The first heat at the melt shop is expected by the end of 2021.

United States Steel Corp. plans to reduce greenhouse-gas-emissions intensity across its global footprint by 20%, as measured by the rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalents emitted per ton of finished steel shipped, by 2030 based on 2018 baseline levels. This target will apply to U.S. Steel’s global operations. The company plans to achieve this goal through multiple initiatives, including the development of electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking at its Fairfield Works and at Big River Steel, in which U.S. Steel recently acquired a minority interest with an option to acquire the remainder over the next four years. 

Danieli has been selected to supply equipment for Nucor’s new greenfield plate steel mill in Brandenburg, Ky. Danieli will supply an electric-arc furnace (EAF) melt shop and plate/steckel mill, as well as an electrical and automation package provided by Danieli Automation. The EAF will be equipped with all modern mechatronic devices to improve its performance and safety. Danieli will also supply secondary metallurgy equipment, including a twin-station LMF and a twin-station VTD equipped with mechanical pumps. Both units will include with the latest automation and process models to ensure precise chemistry and temperature control.

Extractive metallurgy is an area of our science that deals with the process and methods of gathering and isolating metals from their ores (i.e., natural mineral deposits) and in some instances refining them.

Liberty Steel USA will invest up to $25 million in its liquid steel production facilities at Georgetown, S.C., to substantially boost output and secure the long-term future of the mill, which reopened just over a year ago. The company will install a modern electric-arc furnace (EAF) and extensively improve the infrastructure of the facility’s melt shop to increase wire-rod output to over 400,000 tons a year. Liberty Steel has already increased the versatility of its rolling mill at Georgetown in an effort to serve key markets for wire rod in the southeastern U.S.

United States Steel Corp. announced a joint-venture partnership agreement under which it has taken the first step toward acquiring Big River Steel through the purchase of a 49.9% ownership interest for approximately $700 million in cash, with a call option to acquire the remaining 50.1% within the next four years. U.S. Steel has committed financing to execute the transaction. Big River Steel operates an LEED-certified, Flex Mill in northeast Arkansas that is, according to the company, the most advanced EAF-based flat-rolled mill in North America. Big River Steel produces advanced automotive steels and electrical steels and provides services to customers in the automotive, energy, construction and agricultural industries. The company’s recently announced Phase II-A expansion is expected to double the mill’s hot-rolled steel production capacity to 3.3 million tons annually.

BlueScope, an Australian steel producer, has approved the expansion of its North Star facility in Delta, Ohio. The company will add an additional 850,000 metric tons per year of steelmaking capacity. The $700 million project is expected to begin in mid-2022 with full ramp-up scheduled for approximately 18 months later. In addition, the expansion has potential future growth of a further 500,000 metric tons per year. According to BlueScope, the expansion offers long-term sustainable earnings growth from a high-quality asset.