Evraz North America to invest in Canadian mills

Chicago-based Evraz North America says the Canadian government will be awarding it CA$40 million ($27.9 million) to help it strengthen its operations in the Canadian province of Alberta.

The money has come from the steel and aluminum program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which was created in 2018 to strengthen the country’s aluminum and steel industries.

The money follows Evraz’s CA$112 ($83.2 million) investment for equipment upgrades at its steel mills in the Alberta cities of Regina and Red Deer. The improvements have been designed to boost Evraz North America’s steelmaking capacity, reduce emissions and improve efficiency. The company previously invested more than CA$200 million ($148 million) in expansion and upgrades in Regina between 2015 and 2017.

“This government recognizes the challenges facing Canadian steel producers and the thousands of employees working in steel mills across the country, including 1,200 right here in Regina,” states Conrad Winkler, Evraz North America president and CEO. “Partnerships such as the SIF are crucial to our job-creating, long-term investments.”

Evraz North America says its electric arc furnace (EAF) mill in Regina melts more than 1 million tons of ferrous scrap each year. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of London-based Evraz PLC, which describes itself as one of the largest vertically integrated steel and mining businesses in the world. The company produces engineered steel products for rail, energy and industrial end markets.