In a statement, Spain-based Sarralle said the contract provides for a 180-metric-ton DC electric arc furnace (EAF), a 180-metric-ton twin-ladle furnace, a raw materials handling plant, a fume treatment system and other ancillary equipment. 

Sarralle said it will equip the furnace with its Statcom system to comply with the strictest requirements of the power grid as well as a number of automated features to ensure safety. Those features include automated eccentric bottom tapping and sand filling, an automatic slag door, and a sample-collecting robot. 

The plant will be capable of producing 1.5 million tons of steel annually. Equipment shipments are to begin in December, and commissioning is set for the first half of 2023. 

“For Sarralle, the start-up of the steelmaking facility represents a major milestone, as it is one of the most technologically advanced steel plants in the world, both in terms of production (due to its capacity and quality) and environmental impact. This has been made possible thanks to the experience, know-how and capability shown by Sarralle in its 55 years of activity in the steelmaking sector,” the company said in a statement. 

Sarralle said the contract builds on a longstanding relationship with ArcelorMittal, having carried out more than 50 projects around the world for the steelmaker, it said. It also said the contract demonstrates ArcelorMittal’s trust in Sarralle’s equipment design and its reliability as a partner. 

AM/NS Calvert is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corp., which together greenlighted a US$775 million project to add melt capacity to the facility last year.  

“The addition of an EAF at AM/NS Calvert presents a transformational opportunity for what is already widely considered to be the world’s most advanced steel finishing facility. This is a logical next step in optimizing AM/NS Calvert’s supply chain,” ArcelorMittal North America chief executive Brad Davey said at the time.