SSAB Americas steel mill in Montpelier, Iowa has accelerated its bi-annual maintenance outage schedule because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Initially slated for October 2020, the outage has been rescheduled to June 22 and is expected to last approximately four weeks, according to a company spokesperson.
SSAB is a North American steel plate and coil producer and had a market share of approximately 27pc in 2019. SSAB’s production plants in Sweden, Finland, and the US have annual steel production capacities of 8.8mn mt. In addition to Montpelier, SSAB Americas has a modern steel mill in Mobile, Alabama; their combined production capacity is 2.4mn mt per annum, and they employ about 1,200 people.
The company anticipates powering its Iowa operations with renewable energy by 2022, and its Americas operations will offer fossil-free steel products starting in 2026 by using sponge iron. The company has set a goal to eliminate all carbon dioxide emissions by 2045 across its worldwide operations.