According to an announcement from Danieli Corus, which built the furnace in 1986, the rebuild has been put off until after 2021. By then, the furnace will have run for 35 years and produced more than 80 million metric tons of hot metal.

Danieli Corus said the postponement is possible owing to the furnace design, which incorporates copper plate coolers and high-conductivity refractories.

“Over the years, the same Danieli Corus design was applied to more than 50 other plants, which are performing at high levels,” the company said in a statement.