Whyalla Steelworks resumes production after furnace repairs

Steel production at the Whyalla Steelworks resumed on Friday for the first time since an unplanned shutdown in March.

GFG Alliance chairman Sanjeev Gupta in Whyalla. Picture: AAP

Steel production at the Whyalla Steelworks resumed on Friday for the first time since an unplanned shutdown in March.

Operator GFG Alliance confirmed its long recovery operation of the plant’s blast furnace had been completed, with the first steel rolling off the production line on Friday morning.

The steelworks had not produced steel since mid-March when its blast furnace went cold during routine maintenance work. The restart of the furnace was further delayed in May after the shell was damaged during repair works.

GFG said Friday’s restart was made possible after hot metal temperature and chemistry moved to optimal levels in recent days.

Power and services, maintenance and steelmaking workers who were on temporary day rosters have been progressively returning to their regular shifts this week ahead of Friday’s restart.

“Returning the blast furnace to normal operation was a difficult task with many setbacks, and a return to steelmaking is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our skilled and expert team,” GFG Alliance chairman Sanjeev Gupta, who visited the steelworks in May, said. “We can now get on with producing high-quality steel in Whyalla which supports our cus­tomers, workers and their families along with the rest of the Whyalla and South Australian community.”

Mr Gupta said the company had also begun designing a new system using a “special purpose oxygen and natural gas lancing system” that would give the operator “more control over restarts” of the blast furnace in the future. That technology is expected to be available later in the year.

“Our focus remains the future of Whyalla,” Mr Gupta said.

“We are working towards our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, aligning the timelines for the delivery of our electric arc furnace with a direct reduced iron plant and the expected availability of the associated operating requirements such as natural gas and hydrogen required to use our high-grade magnetite.”

GFG plans to replace the existing blast furnace with a direct reduced iron plant and an electric arc furnace, but announced recently that the new infrastructure would not be constructed and operational until 2027.

The ramifications of the furnace shutdown have been significant for Whyalla’s largest employer, with about 300 of the plant’s 1100 employees and contractors on reduced hours.

Originally published as Whyalla Steelworks resumes production after furnace repairs