GFG Alliance, the parent company of international industrial and metals group Liberty House, announced today, February 16, that Liberty Steel, also part of GFG Alliance, has started preparation for the restarting of its Georgetown mill, namely, Liberty Steel Georgetown (LSG), in South Carolina, US, and is about to begin recruitment for the plant.
Following maintenance and upgrade of equipment, the company aims to restart production at the plant in the second quarter of the current year and intends to operate its electric arc furnace at full capacity as soon as feasible. Over the remainder of 2018, Liberty Steel Georgetown will focus on ensuring wire rod coils from its rolling mill are meeting customer specifications and, thereafter, the plant will ramp up production to meet customer demand.
According to the company’s statement, Liberty Steel Georgetown will initially concentrate on producing volumes of PC strand grade wire rod and deformed rebar in coil, both of which will supply the US market for infrastructure steels. At the same time, Georgetown will be concentrating on regaining certifications and approvals the plant previously held with high-end customers.
Excess billet from Georgetown will be offered first to Liberty plants outside the US and, if available, some will be sold into the domestic market.
Liberty acquired the plant from the global steel giant ArcelorMittal in December 2017 and following some initial work on site is now in a position to begin recruitment.
Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of Liberty Steel and GFG Alliance, stated that the Georgetown mill is the first step in Liberty’s wider investment program in the American steel industry, which will unfold over the coming months. Based on its sustainable Greensteel model, Liberty believes the industry has a bright future in the US, Mr. Gupta added.
Meanwhile, GFG Alliance has also announced that Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, will today reignite the mothballed the electric arc furnace at Liberty Speciality Steels in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK. The restart of the electric arc furnace, which was mothballed by previous owners during the steel crisis two and a half years ago, is creating 300 new jobs at Rotherham and its sister plant in Stocksbridge, as well as many hundreds more across the country.