BlueScope eyes new steel facility in eastern US

Australian steelmaker BlueScope may build a new steel painting and coating facility in the eastern US as it pursues downstream opportunities.

High asset prices in the US are driving BlueScope to pursue building a new facility rather than purchasing an existing one, chief executive Mark Vassella said.

BlueScope operates the 2.3mn st/yr electric arc furnace (EAF) North Star mill in Delta, Ohio, which is undergoing a 937,000st/yr EAF expansion.

Other steelmakers have announced new projects amid record high US steel prices and profits.

EAF steelmaker Nucor yesterday said it would build a new 3mn st/yr flat-rolled mill, which will include a cold mill and two galvanizing lines, with one for advanced high-end automotive purposes.

In Texas, EAF steelmaker Steel Dynamics (SDI) has started up its new 250,000st/yr paint line at its Sinton mill, and has been working on a 550,000st/yr galvanizing line at the mill, which will have a flat-rolled capacity of 3mn st/yr when it starts melting in mid-November.

SDI has also been planning new paint and galvanized lines at its Heartland plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.

By Rye Druzin