Whyalla’s steelworks has resumed operations after a four-month shutdown caused by various operational challenges and extensive repairs.
Bringing Whyalla back online, which saw steel cast once again, was made possible by the management team and workforce who worked to rescue and stabilise the historic plant.
GFG global chief manufacturing officer and leader of the Whyalla “back to black” taskforce Theuns Victor said the return to steelmaking was an “emotional moment” for the whole team, who worked around the clock and tackled several challenges to successfully return to steelmaking.
“However, I want to caution that we still have a long way to go before the plant is stable and secure,” Victor said.
“The blast furnace is currently running at half its capacity with a number of issues yet to be resolved.”
Victor said the team is also tackling challenges in the rest of the plant and will soon enter the EPIC Energy natural gas lateral shutdown for 2–3 weeks, which will add further complexity to the operations.
“Despite this I am very confident we will deliver the plant to stability and then to its full capacity, but this will take time and patience,” Victor said.
“I am immensely proud of the perseverance of our Whyalla team, which will see us overcome the enormous challenges we have been facing.”
The shutdown, which began four months ago, resulted from operational difficulties, including issues with the ageing blast furnace.
Prolonged periods of downtime in facilities like Whyalla’s can lead to significant damage, complicating repair and restart processes.
GFG executive chair Sanjeev Gupta praised the progress while recognising the herculean nature of the task.
“We have deployed our best resources to rescue Whyalla, and I am pleased to see the first real sign of progress towards our goal to return the plant to full production and then back to black,” Gupta said.
“Steel plants of this vintage don’t do well being shut for four months … my commitment to Whyalla remains steadfast, and we will not rest until we bring the business back to black.”
The “back to black” strategy is seen as the cornerstone of GFG’s aspiration to establish a green steel future for Whyalla.
The reopening of Whyalla is good news for the iron ore and coking coal mines that supply it, including the Middleback Ranges operations in South Australia and the Tahmoor coking coal mine in NSW.
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