According to the steelmaker, the improvements will up Gary Works’ pig iron production to 500,000 tons per year. The increase in capacity will allow U. S. Steel to insource pig iron units for its electric steelmaking operations, including Big River Steel in Osceola, Ark., USA. The company estimates that once complete, the upgraded Gary Works operations will supply around 50% of Big River’s pig iron needs.

U. S. Steel president and chief executive David B. Burritt said, “U. S. Steel’s low-cost iron ore is an important strategic advantage for the company. Our ability to control this important steelmaking input is a valuable competitive differentiator for our growing fleet of electric arc furnaces. An investment in pig iron is an important first step to translating our low-cost iron ore advantage to our EAF footprint while driving efficiencies at Gary Works.”

U. S. Steel said it expects to begin construction at Gary Works in the first half of 2022, with a targeted 2023 completion date.

Read more here.