Following his announcements on significant steps being taken towards the transformation of the existing Whyalla operations at a ceremony held on December 10, 2018, GFG Alliance Executive Chairman, Sanjeev Gupta, shared plans for a visionary ‘Next-Gen’ mega steel plant for Whyalla.“Our cutting-edge transformation plans for our existing steel plant are just the beginning of what GFG Alliance has in store for the region,” Mr Gupta said. “Utilising almost perfect local conditions – our own infrastructure including a deep-sea port; rich local resources; and unrivalled community passion – we now plan to build a new steel plant, one of the world’s largest, right here in Whyalla."“Liberty Next-Gen Steel’ will be the largest in the Western world, capable of producing 10 million tonnes per year, with the ability and infrastructure to double capacity in time.”The project will be based on state-of-the-art technologies and best-in-class environmental measures. It will focus on production of semi-finished steel – slabs, blooms and billets – exported to downstream operations in key strategic and growing markets around the world.
Major Steps in Transforming GFG’s existing Whyalla Operations
At the ceremony held on December 10, 2018, attended by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, opposition leader Bill Shorten and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, Sanjeev Gupta also announced that contracts had been signed as a part of a project to grow capacity at the existing steel mill by 50%, from 1.2 million to 1.8 million tonnes per year.According the GFG Alliance, the two contracts signed are worth more than AUS 600 million, representing a significant portion of the overall transformation cost. The contracts are for the design of equipment and construction with contracting partners:
- Danieli, for a new, world-leading, state-of-the-art rail and structural heavy section mill
- CISDI Engineering Co, for a Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) Plant
Mr Gupta said these components would play a key role in securing Whyalla’s long-term future. ■
