Construction Under Way on $570 Million Coke Plant in Illinois

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--What started out as a $200 million project in 2006 by U.S. Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in Granite City, Illinois, has grown not only in cost to $570 million but also in overall scope. Approximately 650,000 tons of coke is expected to be produced yearly at this new state-of-the-art plant in late 2009. Three coke batteries with 40 ovens each will be used to manufacture coke using heat-recovery oven technology. One hundred twenty ovens are being built at the site. The Murphy Company (St. Louis, Missouri), as the mechanical contractor, has its own mechanical project director that will oversee subcontractors hired for this part of the project. Guarantee Electric Company (St. Louis) was brought on board as the electrical contractor. Gateway Energy and Coke Company LLC, a subsidiary of SunCoke Energy (Knoxville, Tennessee), is supplying a project director along with project engineers who will oversee the entire project. The company is the project's owner/operator.

Early foundation work, as well as the first phase of the electrical effort, began in May. Equipment and specialty subcontracts will be continually needed throughout the duration of the project with the additional bids being released as needed. More than 900 construction workers are estimated to be employed during the 18-month construction period. The entire project, which includes a cogeneration plant and a coke conveyance system, is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

U.S. Steel's commitment to the project was the driving force to its conception. In keeping with its commitment, U.S. Steel has signed a 15-year contract with SunCoke Energy to receive all of the coke produced from the new plant, which is located on 41 redeveloped acres across the street from the steel mill where the blast furnace is located. When the project is complete, 10 outmoded U.S. Steel boilers will be removed from service. Heat recovery steam generators will recover the waste heat energy from the coke manufacturing process as high-pressure steam. The steam will then be processed at the Granite City Works steel mill and used to produce electricity with the use of a steam turbine generator as well as some of it being used in its natural form throughout the plant. Site work has begun on the new 80-megawatt (MW) cogeneration plant, which will be built, owned and operated by U.S. Steel. This $40 million project was handed off to BE&K Engineering Company (Birmingham, Alabama), which will oversee the project as the engineering firm.

Coke oven gas boilers and an 80-MW steam turbine generator are the main components to the plant. The project also includes a cooling water tower, transformers, condensers, switchgears, sensors and a multitude of controls. The cogeneration plant is expected to be completed before the coke plant.

Producing the coke is only one step in the completion of this project. Moving the coke to the steel mill will be accomplished with an $11 million coke conveyance system that is being built by U.S. Steel. Two conveyor sections, one at 1,500 feet long and a second at 500 feet long will be installed as the fundamental components, along with daybins, a transfer tower, feed/reclaim hoppers, vibratory feeders, conveyors, as well as water or surfactant spraying solution stations will help complete the system, which will be ready to receive and transfer the coke after the coke plant is online.

For related information, see April 16, 2007, news article - Citizens Gas & Coke Utility to Shutdown Coke Manufacturing Plant.

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