Usiminas to Expand Output Capacity of Plate, Hot Strip and Galvanizing Steel

Nippon Steel announced on Monday the equity method affiliate, Usiminas discloses a series of expansion plan including no.2 continuous galvanizing line at Unigal, which is automotive steel sheet making joint venture between Nippon Steel and Usiminas, and expansion of plate and hot rolling mill. Usiminas also starts study for new integrated steel making operation in next site of Cubatao. Nippon Steel already announced the expansion outline in August 2007 and released the detail for major expansion items on Monday. Unigal adds no.2 galvanizing line with 550,000 tonnes of annual output capacity starting operation in end of 2010. Usiminas expands the plate output capacity by 500,000 tonnes from current one million tonnes tat Ipatinga works by middle of 2010. The firm builds new hot strip mill at Cubatao works, which has initial 2.3 million tonnes of capacity and is expanded to maximum 4.7 million tonnes, starting operation in April 2011.