CMC receives air permit for Arizona micromill

Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), Irving, Texas, has announced that Arizona’s Maricopa County Air Quality Department has granted it an operating air permit so that the company can begin the construction of its new electric arc furnace (EAF) micromill in Mesa, Arizona. The company says this is also its second EAF micromill in Mesa and its third EAF micromill overall.

“Receiving the air permit is an important milestone in our latest micromill project, which we have named Arizona 2,” says Tracy Porter, executive vice president and chief operating officer at CMC. “With the permit in hand, we can now begin construction in preparation for installation of the mill equipment, which we ordered last year. We still anticipate commissioning to occur during the spring of 2023.”

The Arizona 2 micormill will be the first micromill in the world to produce merchant bar and rebar, CMC states in a news release on the project. Porter says it will use environmentally friendly steelmaking technology.

“The plant’s capability to directly connect to an on-site renewable energy source, a first in North America, will further enhance the low emissions and highly efficient energy consumption of the micromill process,” Porter says. “We are excited by Arizona 2’s potential and the operational efficiencies, network flexibility, market access and environmental benefits it will provide.”

Mesa’s mayor has expressed support for CMC’s new micromill.

“Mesa prioritizes decision-making that supports a sustainable future for our environment, and we are pleased to see CMC is setting the standard for environmentally friendly steelmaking,” says Mesa Mayor John Giles. “We are proud to have a long-standing partnership with CMC in Mesa and look forward to their continued success as leaders in their industry.”