Whyalla Steelworks has cast its first steel following a 4-month shut down due to operational challenges and extensive repairs.

The return of steelmaking represents a significant milestone in the ongoing monumental effort by the management team and the Whyalla workforce to rescue the plant.

Theuns Victor, GFG’s global Chief Manufacturing Officer leading the Whyalla ‘Back to Black’ taskforce said, “This is an emotional moment for me and the entire team who have worked around the clock and tackled many challenges to make a successful return to steelmaking. However, I want to caution that we still have a long way to go before the plant is stable and secure. The blast furnace is currently running at half its capacity with a number of issues yet to be resolved. At the same time we are also tackling challenges in the rest of the plant and will soon enter the EPIC Energy natural gas lateral shut down 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. I am immensely proud of the perseverance of ourWhyalla team, which will see us overcome the enormous challenges we have been facing.”

GFG’s Executive Chairman Sanjeev Gupta:
“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. This is nothing less than a Herculean undertaking, steel plants of this vintage don’t do well being shut for 4 months. I commend our team for their dedication and perseverance despite ongoing headwinds and challenges. In addition to my team I want to thank all stakeholders who have been supportive of our mission, especially customers, vendors and suppliers who are bearing with us on this journey. I would like to reassure them that my commitment to Whyalla remains steadfast and we will not rest until we bring the business back to black for the long term prosperity of all our stakeholders. Back to Black is the critical foundation on which our incredible aspirations to build a green steel future for Whyalla and GFG rest.”

Media enquiries to Kelly Fedor; Manager External Communications and Media +61 404 003 175