Australia's Whyalla steelworks to shut blast furnace for good

The Whyalla steelworks in South Australia - the country's only long steel producer - will permanently close its blast furnace, which has been idle since April, after months of failed repair attempts, the state government said on September 14.

Commissioned in 1965, the furnace to be closed was designed to produce 1.2 million tonnes of steel a year, though output in recent years was around 1 million tonnes, Mysteel Global noted. The furnace has experienced several unplanned outages and repairs in recent years, and 20 years have passed since