CSN to double port capacity in Brazil by end of 2014

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“The new export capacity at the port will be fulfilled by our mining projects, especially Casa de Pedra,” mining director Daniel dos Santos told analysts during a conference call on Wednesday August 7.

Currently, the company is carrying out works to lift Tecar’s handling capacity to 45 million tpy from 30 million tpy.

“The port will be operating at its full 45 million-tpy capacity by the end of the year,” Santos said.

At the same time, CSN is doubling production capacity at its 100%-owned Casa de Pedra mine, in Brazil’s south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, to 40 million tpy.

“We are at the peak of work, and the expansion is expected to be concluded [by] the end of 2014,” Santos said.

CSN is also looking to expand sales capacity at it’s Namisa joint venture – with Japanese companies Itochu, JFE Steel, Kobe Steel and Nisshin Steel, plus China Steel Corp of Taiwan and South Korea’s Posco – in Brazil’s south-eastern Minas Gerais state.