U.S. Steel says it’s in the process of restarting Battery 14 at its Clairton plant more than two months after a deadly explosion took place.
The battery has been on hot idle, meaning it isn’t producing any product, since the blast happened in mid-August, killing two workers and injuring nearly a dozen other people at the Clairton Coke Works plant.
Final safety checks were set to be performed on Thursday, with the startup beginning in the afternoon. As of Thursday at 9 p.m., a U.S. Steel spokesperson said the process hadn’t been completed yet, saying it is a slow and methodical process.
Sources relayed to KDKA that the explosions occurred inside the reversing room for batteries 13 and 14. The room acts as a mechanical regulator, making sure the coal bakes evenly in the oven.
U.S. Steel says that repair work on Battery 14 is now complete, and operations can resume.
“It’s a good feeling,” veteran steelworker and Clairton plant employee Andrew Macey said on Thursday. “You don’t want to lose production.”
Yet, losing production is exactly what Macey said took place after the explosion. Batteries 13 and 14 could no longer produce the coke that is essential in the Mon Valley Works steelmaking process.
“They had to go out in the open market and buy coke to supplement what they need to operate their glass furnaces throughout the corporation,” Macey said.
Some steelworkers have shared that they believe their coke is better than other producers’ coke. Other steelworkers were concerned that a prolonged shutdown could lead to job losses.
“To be able to get that battery back online is really keeping people working and putting them back on the jobs that they came from before this incident happened,” Macey said.
Crews have been removing air from lines, leaving just gas inside, Macey said. They have been repairing the battery over the last two months. He says that at the onset of turning back on the battery, it will take longer to produce coke, which should reduce emissions.
“Right now, they’re taking it slow,” Macey said.
To allow the battery to eventually be turned back on, it was left in hot idle after the explosion. Hot idle means it is not as hot as it usually is.
“It was a positive mood,” Macey said of the feeling inside the plant on Thursday. “From our manager to the department that I’m in, it’s a good feeling.”
Through the joy, he said that everyone still thinks about the two men who died. He said they will never be forgotten.
“As we move forward, our thoughts remain with the employees who were injured or lost during the August 11th incident,” U.S. Steel said. “Their families, colleagues, and loved ones are in our hearts, and their memory continues to guide our commitment to safety.”
U.S. Steel says the Allegheny County Health Department has been notified, and emissions controls will be active and closely monitored.
In the weeks following the deadly blast, U.S. Steel said that preliminary findings from the investigation into the explosion revealed that pressure building inside a gas valve led to its failure.
Since then, U.S. Steel has strengthened several safety protocols inside the plant, including prohibiting the use of high-pressure water for cleaning valves.
Battery 13 will still have to be brought back online. It will likely take until next year, with the hope it could come back on in February 2026, Macey said he was told.
What is coke, the substance made at the Clairton plant?
U.S. Steel says the Clairton plant is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the country. Coke is a fuel used to melt iron ore, and it’s produced by baking coal in coke ovens.
The Clairton plant has ten batteries, which are a series of coke ovens, stacked in rows.
Clairton produces more than 4 million tons of coke each year.
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