ArcelorMittal Montreal Successfully Completes a $20 Million Investment at its Contrecoeur Complex
CONTRECOEUR, June 10, 2013 – After 9 months of work, 12,000 hours of training and an investment of nearly $20 million, ArcelorMittal Montreal employees successfully completed activities enabling the Contrecoeur West steelworks to be supplied with direct reduced iron pellets.
“With the ability to use iron pellets in addition to scrap, the Contrecoeur West steelworks can now produce a wider range of high-end steel products for our customers, with greater raw materials flexibility according to market fluctuations,” explained Sujit Sanyal, Vice President, Operations at ArcelorMittal Montreal.
The project involved restarting module 1 in the reduction plant where oxidized iron pellets are processed to remove most of the oxygen. A new loading station will be used to collect the pellets and ship them to the Contrecoeur West steelworks, a few kilometers away. There, a melting furnace supply system (unloading ramp, conveyors and storage silos) has been built to charge the furnace with reduced iron pellets that will be converted into steel.
The project was brought in on schedule and without any health and safety incident. Project completion was celebrated with a visit from P.S. Venkataramanan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Long Carbon North America, who congratulated the employees on their achievement.
A significant presence in the region
This $20 million investment has created new jobs at Contrecoeur and its main concept, engineering and installation phases were all done in Québec. Furthermore, local suppliers and contractors were at the forefront with more than 85% of equipments, products and services coming from Québec. This project is one of many investments designed to ensure the company’s long-term presence and bolster its social and economic role in local communities. Over the past five years, ArcelorMittal Montreal has invested $150 million in fixed assets at its facilities.
A major processing role in Québec
Most of the iron pellets used by ArcelorMittal Montreal come from ArcelorMittal’s mines in northern Québec. The Contrecoeur project has solidified ArcelorMittal’s position a leader in processing with 2.2 million tons of iron ore processed annually in Québec, in addition to the 2 million tons sent to ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton, Ontario. According to Éric Tétrault, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, ArcelorMittal is the largest mining and processing operator in Québec.
About ArcelorMittal Montreal
ArcelorMittal Montréal’s mission is to safely manufacture sustainable steel in accordance with its values of quality, leadership, health and safety and sustainability. The company employs about 1,750 people in 11 facilities in Contrecœur, Longueuil, Montreal, La Prairie, Hamilton and Ottawa. It operates three scrap metal conversion divisions, one iron ore reduction plant, two steel plants, three rolling mills and two wire drawing plants. The group has an annual production capacity of over 2 million tons of steel and generates economic spinoffs of more than $1 billion per year.
ArcelorMittal Montreal is part of ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading integrated steel and mining company, with a presence in more than 60 countries. For more information about ArcelorMittal, please visit www.arcelormittal.com.
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