Severstal NA mulls BF rebuild, annealing line

Apr 12, 2012 | 03:09 PM | Michael Cowden

Tags  Severstal, UAW Local 600, Bernie Ricke, blast furnace, rebuild, continuous annealing line, Michael Cowden

TORONTO — Severstal North America Inc. is mulling a potential rebuild of the idled "B" blast furnace at its Dearborn, Mich., steel works as well as constructing a continuous annealing line without Energy Department funding, a company spokeswoman and union official told AMM.

The facility currently operates only its "C" blast furnace, which has an annual production capacity of 2.1 million tons, a figure that would jump to 3.1 million tons if the "B" blast furnace were to be brought back online, the Severstal spokeswoman said, adding that any rebuild would depend on market conditions. "If we need more steel made and we need another integrated furnace, then we would bring back the ‘B’ blast furnace. But that hasn’t been decided yet."

The "B" blast furnace in Dearborn was shut down after molten metal breached the furnace’s shell in January 2008, spilling raw materials and liquid metal onto the floor (AMM, Jan. 8, 2008). The accident occurred not long after the "C" blast furnace resumed operations following a major upgrade.....