<article><p class="lead">Electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker North Star BlueScope has opened its expansion at its Delta, Ohio, flat-rolled mill.</p><p>The 850,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr (937,000 short tons/yr) expansion is expected to fully ramp up its production over the next 18 months and bring the mill's total production to 2.95mn t/yr. The opening of the expansion was announced in a 10 May tweet by Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.</p><p>In April, Australian steelmaker BlueScope, which owns the Ohio mill, announced the <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2320706">purchase of the metals coating business</a> of Cornerstone Building Brands for $500mn. The acquisition almost tripled BlueScope's US metallic coating and painting capacity to more than 1.3mn t/yr from a current capacity of around 475,000 t/yr.</p><p>The expansion is the latest new flat-rolled capacity coming on line in the US. EAF steelmaker Nucor is <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2324252">working to fully commission</a> its 1.4mn st/yr flat-rolled expansion at its Gallatin, Kentucky, mill by June. </p><p>EAF steelmaker Steel Dynamics (SDI) is <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2323722">ramping up its new 3mn st/yr flat-rolled mill</a> in Sinton, Texas, which is expected to ship 1.5mn st of products in 2022, down by 500,000st from prior estimates.</p><p class="bylines">By Rye Druzin</p></article>
