Kobe Supplying DRI to Qatar Steel

Kobe Steel, Ltd. has been awarded a contract to supply a Midrex Direct Reduction Plant with an annual capacity of 1.5 million metric tons to Qatar Steel Co.

The $267.4-million project should be completed within 30 months. Kobe Steel will be responsible for the design, equipment supply and construction of the facility. The new plant, to be constructed in Mesaieed, will boost production capacity of DRI from 780,000 metric tons to 2.3 million metric tons per year.

The facilities at QASCO consist of a Midrex Direct Reduction Plant, which makes DRI; electric arc furnaces; continuous casters and bar rolling mills. Current DRI production capacity, which has nearly doubled from the original capacity of 400,000 metric tons a year, is used to make 700,000 metric tons of steel bars and 300,000 metric tons of billets.