The Board of Directors at U.S. Steel Corp. has approved the next phase of capital investment plans, with the company submitting a permit to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) as part of a new project that’s expected to cost $100 million.
Specifically, an air construction permit is in the process of being submitted to ACHD for a new slag recycler at Edgar Thomson Works, located about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Braddock, Pa., where basic steel production takes place, according to a statement released Sept. 24 by U.S. Steel.
If the permit is approved by ACHD, the steelmaker said engineering planning will be finalized, with construction expected to begin next year.
“A slag recycler helps give new life to the byproducts of steelmaking — such as providing ingredients for cement,” according to the statement. “This is an opportunity to reduce air emissions and waste that would have otherwise gone to a landfill, while also generating additional revenue through the sale of byproducts.”
U.S. Steel also said the project would mark another milestone in its partnership with Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp.
Additionally, the board said it also approved a new proposal to invest $200 million in the Gary Works hot strip mill “to optimize production costs and expand premium product offerings, including heavy gauge line pipe and automotive steel.”
Gary Works is U.S. Steel’s largest manufacturing plant, which is located on the south shore of Lake Michigan in Gary, Ind.
“These two projects represent only a fraction of the activity underway as part of Nippon Steel’s investments in U. S. Steel,” the statement says. “Across the company, multiple initiatives are advancing to upgrade infrastructure, enhance capabilities, and modernize facilities for the future.”
The plans will utilize nearly $300 million of the $11 billion that Nippon Steel has committed to U.S. Steel.