Nucor Corp. has entered into an option to purchase the assets of the idled American Iron Reduction plant in Convent, La. The AIR facility consists of a 1.4 million tons-per-year direct reduced iron plant. The facility was initially commissioned in January 1998 and ceased operations in September 1999.
"Nucor will immediately begin analyzing the most effective way to utilize this facility. Bringing the AIR production into the current metallics market can be an effective tool to curb the escalation ongoing in the raw materials markets," stated Dan DiMicco, Nucor vice chairman, president and CEO.
Earlier this year, Nucor announced the Green Pig Iron project with Companhia Vale do Rio Doce in Brazil to produce 380,000 metric tons of pig iron with mini-blast furnaces. This project is scheduled for startup late next year and has the potential to double in size.
In addition, Nucor is a major partner in a joint venture with Rio Tinto, along with Mitsubishi Corp. and Shougang Corp. for the construction of a commercial scale HIsmelt plant in Kwinana, Western Australia. This plant is an 800,000 metric ton facility that converts iron ore to liquid metal through the injection of non-coking coal and iron ore into a molten iron bath. Startup is slated for November 2004 and has significant additional expansion capabilities. Nucor has various options for the pig iron produced by the HIsmelt facility.Latest from Recycling Today
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