DRI projects for the U.S. are on the horizon

摘要

More facilities to produce alternative iron in the U.S. may be announced this year. Minimills are integrating backward to improve control over raw-material supplies and to provide a hedge against rising raw-material costs. Birmingham Steel is making an equity investment in a new DRI project in Louisiana with GS Industries "to ensure getting virgin iron at the best cost," says Jim Todd, Birmingham chairman and CEO. GS Industries is the company created by the merger of Georgetown Industries and GS Technologies. Birmingham also is considering equity investments in scrap operations. These would not be captive businesses for Birmingham, Todd says; they would be operated as profit-generating businesses on their own.