By Adam Allington, KWMU
Granite City, IL – Construction has begun on a Metro East coke-making plant that will provide fuel and energy to an adjacent steel foundry.
The plant, operated by SunCoke Energy, will supply 650-million tons of blast furnace coke to U.S. Steel's Granite City Works.
The five-hundred seventy million dollar joint venture also includes a co-gen power plant to convert steam from the coke furnaces into electricity for the steel mill.
Coke is a coal-like compound used as the main fuel in iron-making blast furnaces.
"Locating the coke battery here gives a stable supply of furnace coke and we're not subject to market fluctuations."
John Goodish is the Chief Operating Officer for U.S. Steel.
"The co-gen station that goes with it is almost just as important, if not more so, than the battery," said Goodish.
Goodish says the mills' energy costs have risen significantly in recent years. The deal is expected to add over 80 permanent jobs to the Metro East region.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attended the groundbreaking.
"This is a historic steel factory and as the son of a steel worker I have a special appreciation for the fact that that this company is continuing to invest in Illinois and give men and women who work here a chance to continue to work here," said Blagojevich.
Steel has been made in Granite City for over one-hundred years and is considered one of the main pollution sources in the region.
This project, however, has received the endorsement of both the Sierra Club and the American Bottom Conservancy because it will create virtually no particulate pollution as well as use steam from the coke furnaces to power the steel mill.