Whyalla blast furnace ‘idled’ due to coke shortage

It turns out that GFG Alliance’s decision to halt shipments of coal to fuel the Whyalla steelworks blast furnace as it moves towards green iron and steel production was premature.

In September last year GFG heralded the arrival of the last shipment of coal used to produce coke used in a traditional blast furnace, with the site preparing to introduce green iron and electric arc furnace steel making.

Now GFG’s Liberty Primary Steel has been forced to idle the blast furnace due to a lack of coke, with the company even resorting to buying coke from steelmaking competitor BlueScope Steel according to media reports.

GFG’s Liberty Primary Metals said in a statement: “LPMA has sourced a parcel of coke from Bluescope Steel after an unexpected delay of its regular overseas shipment of about a fortnight.

“This interim measure enables steelmaking to continue with minimal disruption, with a short hot idle for a few days.”

The idle follows extended shutdown of the blast furnace in May and June this year due to an unplanned breakout of molten iron.

Whyalla City Council has received a briefing from GFG Alliance on the hot idle of the blast furnace.

Mayor Phill Stone said GFG had assured council that this latest interim measure would enable steelmaking to continue with minimal disruption, and that this was not a repeat of the recent blast furnace interruption.

Stone said” “We feel for the people being impacted by the recent events, particularly those who have lost their jobs and any suppliers awaiting payment, as this has impacts right across the community,.

“GFG has stated that it’s working with smaller local businesses in particular to minimise ongoing impacts while it deals with all these issues, which include the market downturn and the pressure of cheap imports.

“This is expected to take some time, so we encourage understanding while GFG works through this challenging situation.”

Stone said the steelworks had experienced an unfortunate series of events..

“But we remain confident they’ll get things back on track, with GFG emphasising to us their commitment to a long-term future in Whyalla and continued support of the local community.”

Further reading:
Whyalla says goodbye to coal as steelmaking goes green(er)
Workers begin to return to normal shifts at Whyalla steelworks

Picture: GFG Alliance/not (quite) the last load of coal unloading at Whyalla