ArcelorMittal announced today it will invest $19.25 million into rebuilding the No. 2 coke battery at its Burns Harbor mill in Indiana. Repairs will take approximately five years, the company said, and with the battery at full production, ArcelorMittal will no longer have to buy metallurgical coke on the spot market, which cost about $50 million per year.
The coke battery was first built in 1974, and rebuilt in 1994. Nagendra Singh, process manager in operations technology for the coke plant, said in a statement that the repairs are “essential in maintaining the highest level of productivity and potentially extending its life beyond the expected 5-year life cycle. The work will allow the No. 2 battery to continue meeting the coke demands of ArcelorMittal USA.”
So far, workers have repaired a total of 13 coke ovens at the mill, and the project is on track to be complete in 2022.