Minnesota Steel
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The Steel Mill Project | ||
| ~ | Mining will take place in the previously mined Butler Taconite orebody near Nashwauk | ||
| ~ | Taconite will be turned into low silica pellets | ||
| ~ | These pellets will be fed into a direct reduced iron (DRI) facility fueled by clean burning natural gas | ||
| ~ | Hot DRI will be fed into an electric arc furnace (EAF) to be turned into steel |
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| ~ | Operations will begin in 2010 | ||
| ~ | Production will be 2.5 million metric tons per year of low cost, high quality steel slab or steel coil | ||
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Environmental | ||
| ~ | Scoping Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) outlined issues that were reviewed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) | ||
| ~ | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources jointly oversaw development of the EIS | ||
| ~ | EAW and EIS offered ample opportunity for public comment and input | ||
| ~ | Public comments on the EIS and EAW were taken under consideration by regulatory agencies | ||
| ~ | The EIS was approved in August 2007 and all necessary permits were issued by September 2007 | ||
| Environment Matters | |||
| ~ | Mining will take place in a previously mined area | ||
| ~ | Process uses clean burning natural gas and electricity | ||
| ~ | Energy consumption and emissions are 30% less than traditional blast furnace steelmaking because products dont cool down between processing points |
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| ~ | Minnesota Steel will emit the least amount of mercury per ton of steel produced anywhere in the world; mercury emissions will be 92% less than other steelmakers | ||
| ~ | Process is cleaner than blast furnace steelmaking, which requires the production of coke | ||
| ~ | Process also is cleaner than most EAFs, which accept scrap metal that can contain contaminants | ||
| ~ | Transporting a finished product means energy isnt wasted hauling waste products | ||
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