US Steel To Close Its Blast Furnace, Related Steelmaking Ops In Alabama

(RTTNews) - United States Steel Corp. (X) Monday announced the proposed intent to permanently close its blast furnace and associated steelmaking operations, along with most of the flat-rolled finishing operations at Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Alabama.

Mario Longhi, U. S. Steel President and CEO, said, "We have made some difficult decisions over the last year as part of our portfolio optimization. We have determined that the permanent shut-down of the Fairfield Works blast furnace, steelmaking and most of the finishing operations is necessary to improve the overall efficiency and cost structure of our flat-rolled segment."

The blast furnace and associated steelmaking operations will be idled. They and the finishing operations would be permanently closed on or after November 17.

The facilities that would permanently close include the blast furnace and steelmaking operations, the hot strip mill, the pickle line, cold mill, annealing facility and stretch and temper line.

The slab and rounds casters, the #5 coating line and the Double G hot-dip galvanizing joint venture in nearby Jackson, Miss., would continue to operate.

The decision does not impact Fairfield Tubular Operations or the electric arc furnace construction project.

This proposal was initiated after careful market analysis of the company's current and long-term global operational footprint competitiveness. The construction of the EAF at Fairfield Works in place of the facility's existing blast furnace was included in that analysis.