Nucor Corporation announced that an ore storage dome has collapsed at Nucor Steel Louisiana where the building of DRI modules to supply its electric arc furnaces is near completion. There were no injuries and no environmental impact.
Based on a preliminary assessment, the start-up of operations will now be delayed several months to the end of the year.
The dome was intended for storing iron ore pellets prior to conversion to DRI. The collapsed storage dome was one of three on the site. Once in full operation, the DRI plant is anticipated to produce 2.5M stons of DRI per year, making it the largest DRI plant in the world and the first one operating in the US in a decade. Construction and hot commissioning of the plant are continuing during the incident investigation and damage assessment.
The DRI project is a $750M project which has come about following the marked decrease in natural gas prices as a result of the development of shale gas plays in the USA. Nucor Steel Louisiana has hired 140 people to work at the plant with a planned hiring goal of 150. Construction of the plant has been underway for two years and has employed more than 600 construction workers during that time.
Source Nucor Corporation
