WHEELING, W.Va., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wheeling-Pittsburgh
Steel Corporation announced that its ladle metallurgy furnace (LMF), a furnace
that is part of its Consteel(R) Electric Arc Furnace system, completed its
first heat at approximately 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 1, just 14 months after the
project was authorized.
"This is a major milestone for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel's electric arc
furnace construction," said James G. Bradley, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Chairman,
President and CEO. "I am extremely excited for the future of our company and
its employees as we approach the start of a new era in steelmaking for
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and the Upper Ohio Valley."
The ladle metallurgy furnace reheats molten steel to the precise
temperature necessary for it to be processed into slabs at the company's twin
stream caster. In addition, it is used to reduce the sulfur content of the
molten steel and add alloys to achieve the exact chemical composition for each
customer's needs. The LMF used molten steel produced at the company's basic
oxygen furnace (BOF) in its first heat, since the EAF is not scheduled to
begin production until later in the fourth quarter.
Startup of the LMF required major components of the EAF project be
operational, including its 138,000 volt substation; water treatment facility;
baghouse, which cleans 1.2 million cubic feet of air per minute; as well as
ladle cars for transporting hot metal to and from the LMF. Each of these
systems will be used by both the LMF and EAF. The total value of the systems
successfully commissioned is approximately $60 million, representing about 50%
of the total EAF project cost.
"The startup of the LMF went smoothly," said Harry Page, Vice President of
Engineering, Technology and Metallurgy. "The successful completion of this
milestone is a reflection of the hard work that went into planning and
implementing the construction of this very complex project in and around an
operating steelmaking complex. The experience level of our steelmaking
operations personnel was instrumental in the success of this startup."
The Consteel(R) EAF is a state-of-the art continuous steelmaking furnace.
Among its advanced features are: a preheating process that preheats the scrap
steel used to charge the furnace to 1,000 degrees and the ability to use
either 100 percent scrap or a mix of scrap and liquid iron.
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corporation, together with its primary subsidiary,
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, is a metal products company with 3,100
employees. Its facilities are in Steubenville, Mingo Junction, Yorkville, and
Martins Ferry, OH; Beech Bottom and Follansbee, WV; and Allenport, PA.
Statements in this release that express a belief, expectation or
intention, as well as those which are not historical fact, are forward
looking. They involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which may cause
actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. For
more information about these risks and uncertainties, please refer to
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corporation's annual report on Form 10-K for the period
ending December 31, 2003, and other filings, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
SOURCE Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation
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CONTACT:
Jim Kosowski for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel
Corporation, +1-304-234-2440
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