Rebar mill planned in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic-based conglomerate the Estrella Group has signed a contract to take delivery on equipment for an electric arc furnace (EAF) steel rebar mill it plans to build.

According to Germany-based mill equipment supplier SMS Group, the Estrella mill will operate under the name Ecoacero and will be located near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to serve “the growing local and regional construction industry.”

SMS describes Estrella Group as “one of the largest construction services and products group in the country” and says the EAF mill investment will “reinforce its vertical integration.”

Estrella Group is collection of companies that produce cement, concrete, metal structures and other types of infrastructure and buildings.

The latest Estrella investment in a new 400,000-ton-per-year rebar mill and melt shop aligns with its strategy “to strengthen its market position in Central America’s growing real estate and construction industry, where rebar is a fundamental building material,” SMS Group adds.

“The upcoming Ecoacero facility will introduce a versatile range of rebar to the market, tailored to meet the demands of different construction industry segments, manufactured with state-of-the-art technology from SMS, and adhering to rigorous international quality standards.”

The project consists of two phases involving a melt shop with a continuous casting machine and scrap preparation. Equipment to be provided in the first phase includes a reheating furnace for billets and a continuous single-strand rolling mill.  The second phase involves installing an EAF “designed with advanced burner and oxygen injector technology to reduce CO₂ emissions and operating costs,” according to SMS Group.

The planned scrap charging-based EAF will be equipped with a melting-refining-casting process line that will be monitored by the SMS X-Pact Level 2 system, designed to ensure “the perfect and smooth interface with the Phase 1 rolling mill," SMS Group says.

The plant’s commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2025, with SMS Group's involvement including the design of the entire rebar mill, along with the delivery of mechanical and electrical equipment.