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Nippon Steel Corporation, the parent company of U.S. Steel, is accelerating its plans to refurbish a large coal-fired blast furnace at its Gary, Indiana, steelworks. U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt stated at an industry conference in Atlanta this week that the company plans to begin refurbishing No. 14, the largest blast furnace at Gary Works, in 2026. hardox 500 steel The news was first reported by Japanese media outlet Nikkei.
The relining project, which will cost approximately $300 million, will extend the blast furnace's operating life by up to 20 years. hardox 500 steel Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) said the project is a key component of its $11 billion investment plan in U.S. steel through 2028, with an overall investment of $3.1 billion expected at Gary Works.
Gary Works is a key U.S. Steel site, located on the shores of Lake Michigan and boasting four operating blast furnaces. Burritt emphasized at the meeting, "Gary Works supports a significant number of jobs and industrial needs in the Midwest. We are making multiple investments to support the growth of the steel industry." U.S. Steel later confirmed this statement in an email.
Blast furnaces are a key step in steel production, smelting iron ore, coke, and limestone at high temperatures to produce molten iron, which is then converted into steel. hardox 500 steel Currently, only seven integrated steel mills operate in the United States, accounting for about a quarter of the nation's total output but responsible for approximately 75% of the steel industry's greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a recent report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a U.S. environmental organization, Gary Works remains one of the main sources of local air pollution, including chromium, which is harmful to human health and whose emissions may cause respiratory diseases and increase the risk of lung cancer.
