Brazilian flats steelmaker Usiminas said it has postponed repairs at a blast furnace at its Ipatinga mill, located in the city of same name in the state of Minas Gerais. According to Usiminas, repairs at its No. 3 blast furnace will be delayed in 12 months. The company didn’t provide a specific reason for the blast furnace repair delay.
As a result of the delayed repairs in the equipment, Usiminas expects to continue using the blast furnace “normally” until 2022.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis in May this year, Usiminas expected to spend BRL 1.23 billion ($292 million) to repair its No. 3 blast furnace at its Ipatinga mill. Usiminas said at the time the planned investment would be completed by 2022, out of which BRL 1.14 billion ($70 million) would be spent between 2020 and 2021. The steelmaker said the combined BRL 1.23 billion ($307.1 million) investment would cover the acquisition of new equipment and services.
Under the company’s previous forecast, its No. 3 blast furnace would continue operating by until mid-2021, when repair works would take place. Now, they’ve been postponed for a one-year period.