The sun set Saturday on almost 125 years of making steel in Sault Ste. Marie using blast furnaces and coal or coke.
#7 Blast Furnace, once the biggest blast furnace in the British Commonwealth, received its final charge on Saturday.
"The final usable heat is complete," Laura Devoni, vice-president for human resources and corporate affairs, tells SooToday.
"The shutdown of our primary operations continued today with the final charge at #7 Blast Furnace.
"The final heat was processed at our basic oxygen steelmaking facility earlier today. Our dedicated project team continues to engage in the safe decommissioning of assets."
"This marks the end of integrated steel production at Algoma after 125 years," Devoni said.
"We are now fully transitioned to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking. The closing ushers in a new era, positioning Algoma Steel as a leading sustainable steel producer."
"Commissioned in 1975, Blast Furnace No. 7 ... has supplied the steel behind critical projects and applications across North America." the company said in a Saturday-night social media announcement.
"Today, we began the decommissioning of Blast Furnace No. 7, continuing the work which began last week to sunset our cokemaking operations.
"This includes Coke Battery No. 7, built in 1959; Coke Battery No. 8, built in 1967; and Coke Battery No. 9, built in 1978.
"Together, these facilities formed the backbone of Algoma Steel’s integrated steelmaking operations for generations.
"Their decommissioning marks the end of an era in our history as an integrated steel producer and the beginning of a new chapter.
"Algoma Steel is now producing steel exclusively through electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, reflecting a fundamental shift in how we make steel and the future we are building," the company said.
Blast furnaces and coke ovens are among the dirtiest of industrial processes, and Algoma’s transition to EAF steelmaking is said by the company to be the single largest decarbonization project in Canada.
It will allow the the company to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 70 per cent annually, compared to traditional steelmaking methods.
Algoma Steel also expects reductions in emissions of benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.
A SooToday poll taken last week found almost 68 per cent of respondents expected their personal health might improve after Algoma stops local cokemaking.
After the Shenango Coke Works west of Pittsburgh closed in 2016, the area experienced:
- a 42-per-cent decrease in emergency department visits for cardiovascular issues
- a 41-per-cent drop in pediatric asthma issues
- an overall decrease in respiratory ED visits of 20.5 per cent