Danieli has been awarded a US$330 million contract to equip Nucor Corp.’s greenfield plate mill in Kentucky, the equipment manufacturer announced Wednesday. 

In a statement, Danieli said it will provide the plate mill's electric arc furnace, secondary metallurgy equipment, plate rolling mill and electrical and automation packages.

“We are proud to be able to continue our long-time, successful relationship with Danieli,” said Johnny Jacobs, vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Brandenburg. “Our new plate mill will serve as a benchmark for our industry and will make Nucor the market leader right in the center of America's largest plate consuming region.”

The mill will be capable of annually producing 1.2 million tons of plate in a thickness range of 3/16 inch to 14 inches and in coils from 3/16 inch up to 1 inch.

For the meltshop, a full-platform-design electric arc furnace with an eccentric bottom tapping system will be installed, along with a twin-station ladle metallurgy furnace and a twin-station vacuum tank degasser, Danieli said.

The rolling mill will consist of two main components: a roughing mill, which, in addition to slabs, will be capable of rolling 36-inch ingots, and a Steckel mill. The design of the mill will be optimized for the production of thermomechanical rolled plates, API grades, and high-hardness, wear-resistant plates up to a rolled width of 160 inches and coils up to a rolled width of 125 inches.

The order also includes a hot leveler and a plate finishing and shearing line.

Nucor is expecting the first plate to be rolled in 2022. （From Steel news）