U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant
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U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant, also known as Mon Valley Works Edgar Thomson, U.S. Steel Braddock, is a blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) steel plant operating in Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States.
Location
The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States:
- Location: Mon Valley Works, Edgar Thomson Plant, 13th Street and Braddock Avenue, Braddock, Pennsylvania 15104, United States
- Coordinates (WGS 84): 40.395140, -79.859645 (exact)
Background
The U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson plant is one of the oldest steel plants in the country, having been active since 1875. Originally owned by the Carnegie Steel Company, it was sold to U.S. Steel in 1901.
In 2019, U.S. Steel proposed a 1.5 billion USD upgrade project that would have retrofitted three of the Mon Valley steel plants, including the Edgar Thomson steel plant.[1][2]
Environmental Compliance
In 2017, the local health department and the EPA filed a Notice of Violation against the plant for repeatedly exceeding local air quality standards; however, as of 2022, no follow-up has been reported.[3]
In October 2020, the East Pittsburgh Borough zoning hearing board denied an appeal by a fracking company to have a lapsed permit for a natural gas well at U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson.[4]
In April 2021, the above upgrade project was cancelled and U.S. Steel announced plans to retire their coking coal facilities by 2023, raising controversy around job security and environmental controls at the plant.[5] The company stated that they cancelled the project because they wanted to "reduce carbon emissions and reallocate capital with a focus on sustainability," citing the company's net zero 2050 target[1][6] However, an executive from Mon Valley Works states opposition from environmentalists as being the cause.[7]
In August 2021, a thick plume of black smoke was emitted by the facility which breached local air quality standards. Members of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) have since filed a petition asking for transparency regarding emissions issues at U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant.[3]
In May 2022, U.S. Steel agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine for operating the Edgar Thomson plant without functional air pollution controls.[8]
Plant Details
Table 1: General Plant Details
| Plant status | Start date | Workforce size | Coal source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[9] | 1875[10] | 800[11] | Coke supplied from Mon Valley Works Clairton Plant |
Table 2: Ownership and Parent Company Information
| Parent company | Parent company PermID | Parent company GEM ID | Owner | Owner company PermID | Owner company GEM ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel Corp [100%] | 4295903049 [100%] | E100001000348 [10.1%]; E100001010595 [9%] | United States Steel Corp[9] | 4295903049 | E100000001319 |
Table 3: Process and Products
| Steel product category | Steel products | Steel sector end users | ISO 14001 | Main production equipment | Detailed production equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| semi-finished[9] | slabs[9] | automotive; building and infrastructure[9] | 2022[12] | BF, BOF[13] | 2 BOF (250-tonne, began in 1972)[9][14][14][15] |
Table 4: Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Capacity operating status* | Basic oxygen furnace steelmaking capacity | Nominal crude steel capacity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| operating | 2600 TTPA[9][9] | 2600 TTPA[9][9] |
Table 5: Crude Iron Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Capacity operating status* | Blast furnace capacity | Nominal iron capacity (total) |
|---|---|---|
| operating | 2770 TTPA[16][17][18][19] | 2770 TTPA[16][17][18][19] |
Table 6: Actual Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Year | BOF Production | Total (all routes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | – | – |
| 2021 | 1682 TTPA[20] | 1682 TTPA |
| 2022 | 1943 TTPA[20] | 1943 TTPA |
Table 7: Actual Crude Iron Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)
| Year | BF Production | Total (all routes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2066 TTPA[14] | 2066 TTPA |
| 2021 | 2078 TTPA[14] | 2078 TTPA |
| 2022 | 1700 TTPA[14] | 1700 TTPA |
Blast Furnace Details
Table 8: Blast Furnace Details
| Unit name | Status | Announced date | Construction date | Start date | Furnace manufacturer and model | Current size | Current capacity (ttpa) | Decarbonization technology | Most recent relining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | operating[9][21] | unknown | unknown | 1943[22] | Siemens-Cowper-Cochrane stoves[23] | 1541 m³[14] | 1500[16][17] | Set to pilot a polymer membrane CCU system with NETL in 2025; Recycle BF gas for use at plant[24][15] | 2014-11[25][25] |
| 3 | operating[26] | unknown | unknown | 1936[22] | Hoogoven[22] | 1380 m³[14] | 1270[18][19] | Set to pilot a polymer membrane CCU system with NETL in 2025; Recycle BF gas for use at plant[24][15] | 2001[27] |
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of steel power plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Steel Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rosenblatt, Lauren (2021-05-01). "Officials bemoan U.S. Steel plans to scrap $1.5B Mon Valley Works upgrade". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Jusko, Jill (2021-05-03). "US Steel Cancels $1 Billion Mon Valley Works Project". Industry Week. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "UPDATED | Smoke & Flames at U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Plant, More H2S Exceedances Punctuate Need for Regulators to Update Public on 2017 Notice of Violation, Compliance Timeline". GASP. 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Fracking project at US Steel Plant denied local permit extension, Reid Frazier, Oct. 22, 2020
- ↑ Reisman, Lisa; Hauser, Don (2021-05-10). "The real story behind U.S. Steel's Mon Valley project cancelation". Steel, Aluminum, Copper, Stainless, Rare Earth, Metal Prices, Forecasting | MetalMiner. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ↑ Burritt, David B. (May 2021). "AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR PITTSBURGH FAMILY from U.S. Steel President & CEO". US Steel. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Fuoco, Linda (2021-05-03). "In the Mon Valley — where U.S. Steel has canceled major investment — many left wondering what went wrong". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Frazier, Reid (2022-05-17). "U.S. Steel Agrees to $1.5 million fine for Air Polluyion Violations at Edgar Thomson Steel Plant". The Allegheny Front. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125024713/https://www.ussteel.com/about-us/locations. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210814032953/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Thomson_Steel_Works. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220701044608/https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2022-06-30/braddock-residents-environmental-activists-push-back-on-pollution-from-edgar-thomson-works. Archived from the original on 01 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220319195232/https://www.ussteel.com/documents/40705/43704/Mon+Valley+Works+-+ISO+14001.pdf/34914ce0-38ec-f764-0576-c9ce6523cddf?t. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20211122083811/https://www.ussteel.com/locations/mon-valley-works-edgar-thomson-plant. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 "2022 AIST North American Blast Furnace Roundup". Association for Iron & Steel Technology. March 2022.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516103501/https://www.ussteel.com/documents/40705/71641/USS+Edgar+Thomson+Report+2021.pdf/11df0ed1-5bf7-96b4-1a25-2463238b6545?t=1639598908641. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 https://www.davisindex.com/us-steel-restarts-blast-furnace-at-mon-valley/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230130115736/https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2376811-us-steel-idles-mon-valley-blast-furnace. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221011212139/https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2371170-us-steel-idles-indiana-blast-furnace. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2023/february/6-10-feb-2023/u-s-steel-restarts-idled-mon-valley-works-bf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 20.0 20.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230311144635/https://s26.q4cdn.com/153509673/files/doc_financials/2022/ar/2022-Annual-Report.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220519230713/https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decree/file/1507226/download. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220706075458/https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2016/02/uss-edgar-thomson-works-in-braddock-pa.html. Archived from the original on 06 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/pcalo-ishc/id/53568/rv/compoundobject/cpd/53614.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230919850045/en/NETL-Collaborates-with-U.-S.-Steel-to-Capture-Greenhouse-Gas-at-Edgar-Thomson-Plant.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 25.0 25.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230323044907/https://songerservices.com/projects/keeping-fires-burning. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230327102405/https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2023/march/20-24-march-2023/u-s-steel-returns-idled-blast-furnace-to-service. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230606064017/https://old.post-gazette.com/businessnews/20010710blast0710bnp2.asp.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
