On Wednesday 12 August 2020, ArcelorMittal announced its intention to build an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steel making facility at AM/NS Calvert in Texas (US).
Once completed the planned facility will be capable of producing 1.5Mt of steel slabs for the Hot Strip Mill and producing a broad spectrum of steel grades required for Calvert’s end-user markets. Construction is expected to take 24 months and the new facility is anticipated to create 300 additional jobs in the community.
Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, said “An electric arc furnace at Calvert makes strategic sense as it allows our asset to be more reactive to the local market as well as being in line with the USMCA. Furthermore, it aligns with our ambition of producing smarter steels for a better world.”
Brad Davey, CEO of ArcelorMittal North America, said “The addition of an EAF at AM/NS Calvert presents a transformational opportunity for what is already widely considered to be the world’s most advanced steel finishing facility. This is a logical next step in optimizing AM/NS Calvert’s supply chain. Enhancing our already highly competitive lead times with short lead-time flexibility, combined with our existing world class facilities will give AM/NS Calvert a decisive competitive advantage. In addition, the USMCA trade agreement is a “game changer” for former NAFTA and as a result, future steel supply chains for the automotive markets will be required to use steel that was created within North America. A new EAF at AM/NS Calvert will further secure ArcelorMittal’s leadership in the North American Automotive market.”
AM/NS Calvert is the world’s most advanced steel finishing facility and further demonstrates the highly successful partnership between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corporation. AM/NS Calvert was originally built by Thyssenkrupp, with a total investment cost ~$4B USD and was acquired by ArcelorMittal and NSC as a 50:50 Joint Venture in 2014. The JV has already invested more than $200M USD in strategic projects invested in Calvert since its acquisition. These capabilities, geographic location in combination with the new EAF will position the facility well for meeting automotive and energy market demand well into the future.
