The caster gives the company the ability to produce up to 1 million tons of merchant pig iron annually. 

“With the expansion of electric arc furnace (EAF) production in North America, the demand for iron units is placing increased pressure on the existing supply of scrap steel, making pig iron an increasingly highly valued commodity in the production of EAF steel. Stelco's new pig iron caster enables it to access this market,” the company said. 

The commissioning follows another major capital project at the Lake Erie Works. Last fall, Stelco completed a reline and upgrade of the facility’s blast furnace, expanding its capacity by 300,000 tons. 

"The commissioning of the pig iron caster completes the most recent of our many strategic investments in Stelco since mid-2017, that have modernized our facilities, diversified our product mix and positioned Stelco to succeed in various market cycles," said Stelco executive chairman and chief executive officer Alan Kestenbaum.

"As markets continue to recover from the global pandemic and with the majority of our strategic investments now complete, including North America's first smart blast furnace, I am excited about the opportunity for our business to capitalize on our low-cost structure, tactical flexibility business model, and diverse and full range of products to continue generating positive returns for our shareholders," Kestenbaum said.