Zug Island Steel Mill

[renf]

There are quite a few stories in the national press but few in the local newspapers about the Biden Administration's judgement and decision about Nippon Steel's current efforts to buy US Steel. What are the implications for the now shuttered steel mill on Zug Island in Detroit which, later in its life, was converted into a steel processing plant?

Thank you.

[Lowell]

Good question. I could be wrong but I don't recall steel being made on Zug Island. I think it only had blast furnaces for extracting iron from ore and coke-making ovens [my first Detroit job]. Steelmaking was in nearby Ecorse. This video by DetroitYES member MichaelAnthonyVideos is a good summary.

[renf]

Lowell,
I think you are correct. In recent years the plant on Zug Island process
steel that was produced in Ecorse and shipped to Zug Island on the
Delray Connecting Railroad. I think it is possible that, in the past.
steel was actually produced at that plant on Zug Island. I think
that one of the few plants in the country produce coke for the steel
industry may still be operating on Zug Island.

Thank you very much.

[Richard]

It it is always referred to as a steel mill,but was one of the very few places making coke left in the country.

It was the destination of the Edmond Fitzgerald before she sank.

But it mimics the decline in auto manufacturing in Michigan because when the manufacturers set up in the south,the Germans stepped in and built steel mills to accommodate those ones.

In a green world the process admits a lot of carbon,Sweden has built a mill that uses a hydrogen process that pretty much makes Zug Island obsolete,even more it has run out of time due to carbon reduction timelines.

The process adds about $400 to the price of an automobile,Coke replaced coal,hydrogen is replacing coke,that’s the down side of green energy,it’s making entire states obsolete after most of them already suffered through the de-industrialization process.

The interesting part is trillions were allocated for infrastructure,which requires materials we no longer have the capability to produce.

So yay we decided to get serious about fixing the infrastructure and have the money sitting in a pile that you cannot spend,which is probably why it was okay to spend 5 billion to install 8 charging stations.

It’s there you have to spend it somewhere.

It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out with Zug Island,it’s probably on a superfund list just waiting for the state and Feds to come up with the billions that it is going to take to remediate it.

That’s the problem with buying steel companies verses starting from scratch,it’s the legacy across the board that comes with them….

Zug island became the buggy wheel manufacturer for an industry that no longer manufactures buggy’s.

Not sure what is going on with the buyout,but it’s not stopping US steel from bringing its new Big River 2 mill online in Arkansas.

But the buyout was Japan trying to get a taste of the estimated 50 million tons of made in the U.S. steel required for the piece of that $550 billion dollar infrastructure pie.

So who knows,maybe the furnaces at Zug Island will be stoked again.

Nobody is going to be going through the process of the regulation process in order to build a new carbon free steel mill that will take 20 years for approvals,there is a trillion dollars sitting there and whoever gets their hands on it first wins.

But its the split personality of the government,one hand said here’s the pile of money,the other says,you cannot spend it because the process is dirty.

As the infrastructure continues to return to Mother Nature.

[jcole]

My dad worked at Great Lakes Steel in the 1930's and I don't think they ever made steel on Zug.

[Richard]

It keeps referring to molten iron that was then transported to the steel production at Ecourse GLS bought it in 1931 and also owned the Ecourse mill then sold to US steel.

My grandfather in Minneapolis worked for US steel as a sales rep 50s 70s.

I cannot think of the name of it but there is also a steel mill in Northern Michigan that is still producing?

[renf]

I read hat President Biden will oppose the sale of U. S. Steel to Nippon.
I don't know if they will be beneficial to employment and tax revenues in
the city of Detroit or deleterious.

[Richard]

It’s pandering like they all do.

2021 he pulled the tariffs that were in place to prevent China from dumping steel on the U.S.

2024 he wants to put them back and triple them

It’s all going the route of British Steel,went bankrupt,government took them over,then sold to TATA [[Indian ) who then sold to the Chinese.

[stasu1213]

Michigan need to clean its fresh waterways and don't need to reopen or restart any operation that will dump toxins into the Detroit River nor into the atmosphere

[Richard]

^ I agree,considering only 36% of the cities residents earn a living wage there is no need for anymore job creation as it is easy to see that is plenty enough to sustain its future.

The city is being artificially propped up with borrowed money,it’s not going to last.

[Jimaz]

The History of Zug Island

Zug Island is a heavily industrialized island located within the city of River Rouge at the southern city limits of Detroit, Michigan.

Here are some key facts about Zug Island:

Geography: Zug Island is situated where the mouth of the River Rouge spills into the Detroit River1. Area: It covers an area of approximately 0.93 square miles {2.4 km²}.

History: The island was originally a marsh-filled peninsula. Samuel Zug, a businessman and one of the founders of the Republican Party, bought the land in 1876 but later sold it due to its dampness.

Industrialization: In the early 1900s, Zug Island became an industrial hub, particularly for the steel industry. The Detroit Iron Works brought ironmaking to the island in 19011.

Environmental Impact: The heavy industrialization has led to significant pollution and environmental degradation, affecting the local population and wildlife.

The Windsor Hum: Industrial activities on Zug Island have been identified as a likely source of the mysterious low-frequency noise known as the Windsor Hum, which has disturbed residents of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Zug Island is a private industrial site and is not accessible to the public. Its industrial activities have played a significant role in the region’s economy but also in environmental concerns.

Zug Island has been historically known for its heavy industrial activities, particularly related to the steel industry. Here are some of the industries that have been present on Zug Island:

Steel Production: The island has been home to several blast furnaces for steel production since the early 20th century.

Iron Works: The Detroit Iron Works brought ironmaking to Zug Island in 19012.

Coking Plants: Industries related to coking, a process in coal production, have operated on the island.

Tar and Paper Manufacturing: There have been facilities for tar and paper manufacturing in the area.

These industries have contributed to the economic development of the region but have also been associated with environmental concerns due to pollution and degradation.

[casscorridor65]

I worked on Zug from 2017 to 2020. We relined "D" Furnace and "B" furnace and switched it over to natural gas. So as far as the furnaces go, YES, they definitely can physically re-open but of course none of us know if they can reopen fiscally with the price of steel so low. We worked 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours day for 3 years, and MADE A TON OF OVERTIME MONEY on those projects, and 1 year after we left, U.S. Steel closed the island. Seemed like a HUGE waste of money but what do I know?

I also worked a few jobs over at DTE's Coke ovens. That's the last operational entity on the island. The nastiest most dangerous place I have ever worked.

Talking to some of the management there, I was told that there is no Superfund in the world that could clean up Zug. It would take Billions, and you would basically have to remove 60% of the island to somewhere else. Never say never, but I won't see it in my lifetime. With that said, the state decided to allow them to continue making coke since it could never be used for anything else. The state used to have 6 places that made coke. Zug is the last one in the state.

Here's something most people don't probably know: DTE and U.S. Steel got in a pissing match and the coke we used in the ovens didn't even come from Zug! We brought it in by rail car from Pennsylvania.