The US-based steel producer United States Steel Corporation has announced that it will restart one of two blast furnaces and the steelmaking facilities at its Granite City Works in Granite City, Illinois. The additional capacity will support anticipated increased demand for steel in the United States from the pending action announced by President Trump on March 1, as a result of the US Department of Commerce Section 232 national security investigation on steel imports.
The company anticipates calling back approximately 500 employees beginning this month. The restart process could take up to four months.
“Our Granite City Works facility and employees, as well as the surrounding community, have suffered too long from the unending waves of unfairly traded steel products that have flooded US markets. The Section 232 action announced by President Trump last week recognizes the significant threat steel imports pose to our national and economic security,” stated David B. Burritt, US Steel president and CEO.
Both Granite City Works blast furnaces and its steelmaking facilities were idled in December 2015 and the plant’s hot strip mill was idled in January 2016 in response to challenging market conditions, including global excess steel capacity and unfairly traded imports.