Midrex says its DRI plants were busier in 2023

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Midrex Technologies Inc. says direct reduced iron (DRI) plants it has equipped and installed around the world produced 3.3 percent more DRI in 2023 compared with the prior year.

The firm says its plants produced 76 million metric tons (MMT) of DRI last year, an increase of about 2.4 MMT compared with the 73.56 MMT of output in 2022. DRI is consumed by electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills along with or instead of ferrous scrap and has applications at blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace (BOF) mills.

The 2023 total for DRI is a partial estimate because actual figures from Russia and Iran—two of the largest DRI producers—were unavailable, according to the company.

Of the estimated 76 MMT of output in 2023, Midrex says about 11 MMT it was used as hot or molten DRI that was then consumed in nearby melt shops to assist in reducing energy consumption per ton of steel produced and to increase productivity.

The 2023 figure, when added to prior annual numbers, means Midrex plants have produced a cumulative total of more than 1.39 billion tons of all forms of DRI and hot briquetted iron (HBI) through the end of last year.

In 2023, nine new Midrex modules were established while nine others established new monthly production records.

In addition to lacking figures from Russia and Iran, Midrex also did not receive information from Venezuelan plants, although it believes those installations operated during 2023 at reduced capacities.

Plants highlighted by Midrex as booming in 2023 included one at Antara Steel Mills in Malaysia that operated at 9 percent over capacity during the year and two modules at ArcelorMittal Canada in Québec that operated at an average of more than 99 percent capacity throughout the year.

The company says several of its plants also did not operate in 2023 because of commercial or market conditions, citing the following modules: ArcelorMittal Point Lisas in Trinidad; ArcelorMittal South Africa; Delta Steel in Nigeria; ESISCO in Egypt; Lion DRI in Malaysia; and NSCL National Steel Complex Ltd. (formerly Tuwairqi Steel Mills) in Pakistan.