BlueScope commits to New Zealand EAF mill

The New Zealand Steel business unit of Australia’s BlueScope Steel Ltd. is moving to the "execution phase” of its project to build an electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mill in Glenbrook, New Zealand.

BlueScope announced its intention to build the EAF this May, saying it would invest about $198 million and that it had the support of the New Zealand government.

In a September blog post, the steelmaker writes, “New Zealand’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits a milestone today, entering the execution phase.” New Zealand Steel says it is on track to ramping up the mill “as soon as 2026.”

The new technology and its ability to melt scrap will see New Zealand Steel cut its emissions by more than 45 percent, an emissions reduction equivalent to keeping approximately 300,000 cars off the road, according to BlueScope.

The steelmaker says it has moved into the execution phase in part because its previously announced agreement with the government was subject to confirming several critical aspects of the project. That process is now complete, BlueScope says.

New Zealand Steel has a history that stretches back nearly 60 years, with BlueScope saying the investment to convert to EAF technology “secures steelmaking in New Zealand for many years to come.”