Big River Could Soon Pull Trigger on Mill Expansion
06/27/2017 - A decision on an anticipated expansion of Big River Steel’s plant in Osceola, Ark., USA, could come as soon as Wednesday, according to Big River chief executive officer David Stickler.
Stickler, who made a presentation about Big River Steel at the 32nd annual Steel Survival Strategies conference in New York, N.Y., USA, did not explicitly say when the decision would come, but told conference attendees that the plant already has the foundations and infrastructure in place to support an expansion and that permits for an expansion have been secured.
And, he said, Big River’s board of directors has a meeting scheduled on Wednesday.
Stickler said an expansion of the mill, if one was to proceed, would include the addition of a second caster, tunnel furnace, ladle metallurgy station, shuttle car and downcoiler.
The plant, as it currently exists, is capable of producing about 1.65 million tons of steel annually. An expansion would double that capacity, he said.
Also on Tuesday, Stickler said he expects that Big River will begin producing advanced high-strength steel sometime by early 2018, adding that a RH degasser, a key piece of equipment that will allow it to produce those products, is to be put into service in the next six weeks.
And, he said, Big River’s board of directors has a meeting scheduled on Wednesday.
Stickler said an expansion of the mill, if one was to proceed, would include the addition of a second caster, tunnel furnace, ladle metallurgy station, shuttle car and downcoiler.
The plant, as it currently exists, is capable of producing about 1.65 million tons of steel annually. An expansion would double that capacity, he said.
Also on Tuesday, Stickler said he expects that Big River will begin producing advanced high-strength steel sometime by early 2018, adding that a RH degasser, a key piece of equipment that will allow it to produce those products, is to be put into service in the next six weeks.
