ArcelorMittal to invest $163mn in Burns Harbor

Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal plans to invest $163.4mn in steelmaking equipment at its 5mn st/year Burns Harbor integrated mill in Indiana.

The investment by the company's US subsidiary, ArcelorMittal USA, will be split into three groups, with $57.9mn invested in finishing equipment at the mill's pickle lines, $54.1mn in hot rolling equipment by adding a temper mill, and $51.4mn in steel making equipment that includes vessel replacement, the company said.

The Burns Harbor town council approved tax abatements for the investments on 8 May.

Burns Harbor's general manager John Mengel said the improvements will allow for higher strength and heavier gauge hot-rolled products, but didn't specify what the capabilities would include. The pickle line investments will improve packaging and shipping, while the temper mill is expected to improve quality.

The investment is in addition to a $19.25mn investment for structural repairs to Burns Harbor's No 2 coke battery.

The news comes soon after Pennsylvania-based integrated steelmaker US Steel announced $1.2bn in investments to its Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh. The company will build a new endless casting and rolling facility at the Edgar Thomson Plant at its Mon Valley Works in Braddock, Pennsylvania, and another $140mn-$200mn investment in a cogeneration facility at its Clairton coke plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania.