Designated as the No. 2 caster, the unit will process a variety of steels, including low-carbon grades for automotive applications, API pipeline grades and high-strength low-alloy steels. It is being designed with a capacity of 1.6 million metric tons annually. 

It will reach casting speeds of up to 2.5 m/minute for 200-mm-thick slabs in widths ranging between 700 mm and 1,300 mm, Danieli said. 

Start-up is scheduled for early 2023. Eastern Steel is part of China’s Jianlong Group.