Originally supplied and commissioned by Danieli in 2003, the facility also got an upgrade in March 2023 when Danieli supplied Meltshop No. 2. The new project will include installation of a new vacuum degasser-oxygen blowing (VDOB) plant. The upgraded complex is estimated to increase productivity from 1.175 million metric tons annually to 1.5 million metric tons annually while also allowing for production of a wider range of steel, the company said. 

The VDOB is based on a twin tank and twin cover configuration, complete with mechanical vacuum pumps and auxiliary systems including dedusting, deslagging and water treatment facilities. The QSP upgrade will modernize the thin-slab caster with a new roll diagram and upgraded automation. It will also include revamping of the tunnel furnace, the hot strip mill and improvements to the water treatment plant. 

Danieli said it will upgrade the main drive systems with its Q-Drive Cyclo technology, enhance the primary descaling system and install a new high-pressure secondary descaler. The automation package will replace level 1 and level 2 systems and implement a level 3 manufacturing execution system. Other upgrades will extend the capabilities of the hot skinpass mill. 

EZZ Flat Steel said the QSP complex upgrade will allow it to produce interstitial-free steels, ultralow-carbon grades, bake-hardening and press-hardening steel, dual-phase steels and advanced high-strength steels. 

The companies said the project will have two phases. The first phase will be completed in May 2027 with the opening of the VDOB plant while the second phase will be completed in May 2028 with the full QSP upgrade.