Brazilian flats steelmaker Usiminas said on Tuesday it has resumed operations of its No. 1 blast furnace at its Ipatinga mill, located in the city of same name in the state of Minas Gerais. The equipment has been idled since June 2015 due to sluggish domestic demand.
“Resuming the No. 1 blast furnace at the Ipatinga mill will increase the company’s (steel) output, reducing its exposure to the purchase of slabs from third party companies,” Usiminas said in a statement.
Usiminas invested BRL 80 million ($23.4 million) to restart the equipment. According to the company’s estimate, the operating blast furnace will help it increase pig iron output to 2,000 mt/day or 500,000-600,000 mt/year.