U.S. Steel ponders $1B capital investment for coke plant

United States Steel Corporation announced November 30 that it is considering a $1 billion capital investment program at its Clairton Plant coke making operation near Pittsburgh that will enhance the company's environmental performance, help to ensure the long-term viability of its Mon Valley Works operations, and create more than 600 construction jobs. The program, which would take place over a period of years, involves the construction of two new technologically and environmentally advanced coke batteries and a cogeneration facility, along with environmentally focused rehabilitation of several existing coke batteries.

The new coke batteries would replace the current capacity of several older units and incorporate state-of-the-art emissions control technology that would meet all regulatory requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Allegheny County Health Department. U.S. Steel also plans to rehabilitate Clairton's remaining coke batteries. The new coke making and emissions control technology combined with the rehabilitation work will result in significant improvements in the Clairton Plant's overall environmental performance. Coke oven gas from coke battery operations would be consumed in the proposed cogeneration facility, which would supply electricity for all three Pittsburgh-area Mon Valley Works facilities: the Clairton Plant; the Edgar Thomson Plant, a steelmaking operation in Braddock, Pa.; and the Irvin Plant, a rolling and finishing facility in West Mifflin, Pa.

U.S. Steel expects to file for environmental permits with the Allegheny County Health Department in early January 2008. The decision to proceed with the program will depend upon receipt of the necessary permits, approval of U.S. Steel's board of directors and business conditions.

"U.S. Steel is committed to running our operations in the most environmentally responsible, energy-efficient and cost-effective manner possible, and this program will help us continue to do that at our Pittsburgh- area facilities," said U.S. Steel chairman and CEO John Surma. "We look forward to working with Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County Health Department, the United Steelworkers, the Building Trades Council and other interested parties to complete this program, which will ensure that our Mon Valley Works facilities remain competitive and that manufacturing continues to be a vital part of Southwestern Pennsylvania's economy."

"The history and success of U.S. Steel and Southwestern Pennsylvania have always been closely linked, and I am thrilled that U. S. Steel is looking at investing $1 billion right here in the Mon Valley," said Onorato. "This would represent the largest investment of its kind in our region since the construction of Pittsburgh International Airport and would help to ensure the long-term viability of U. S. Steel's entire Mon Valley Works, which employs more than 3,000 people and is Allegheny County's largest manufacturer."

The Clairton Plant has an annual coke making capability of approximately 4.7 million net tons. Coke produced at the facility is used to fuel the two blast furnaces at the Edgar Thomson Plant as well as others at the company's North American steelmaking operations. Coke oven gas produced during coke making at Clairton is recycled and used at both the Edgar Thomson and Irvin plants. Other by-products are sold to the chemical industry for a variety of uses.