POSCO Pohang Steelworks Fully Restored... Normal Operations Resumed 135 Days After Flooding

Employees, Civil, Military, and Customers,
Over 1.4 Million People Fully Committed to Recovery

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] POSCO has completed the restoration of all 17 rolling mills at the Pohang Steelworks 135 days after the flooding. Full normal operations will commence from the 20th.

Following the restoration of 15 plants at the end of last year, POSCO announced on the 19th that it successfully restored the Galvanizing CGL plant and Stainless Steel 1 Cold Rolling plant in succession.

In September last year, POSCO faced an unprecedented disaster as the Pohang Steelworks was completely flooded due to the flooding of the Naengcheon River caused by Typhoon Hinnamnor. Initially, there were some concerns about whether the steelworks would need to be rebuilt. POSCO explained, "The dedicated efforts of approximately 1.4 million person-days by employees and the world’s best operational and maintenance technologies accumulated over 50 years by master craftsmen and expert engineers were a great strength."

Products are being produced at the Stainless Steel 1 Cold Rolling Mill of Pohang Steelworks, which completed restoration on the 19th. [Photo by POSCO]

To save the Pohang Steelworks, employees from Pohang Steelworks, Gwangyang Steelworks, POSCO Center in Seoul, group companies, and partner companies all worked tirelessly day and night, including weekends. Centered around master craftsmen, maintenance work was carried out one by one on equipment submerged in water and mud. Domestic and international equipment experts declared that repairing main motors for rolling mills weighing up to 170 tons within a year was nearly impossible, but employees disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled them themselves, opening the way for the normalization of operations.

Support also continued from various sectors including civilian, government, military, local governments, and customers. The Fire Agency and local governments provided large-capacity spraying systems, fire pumps, and water trucks, while the military, including the Marine Corps, deployed personnel to assist with restoration. Customers also supported with restoration equipment as well as snacks and supplies.

Even competitors in the global market such as Nippon Steel and Hyundai Steel provided support by supplying wire rod products and torpedo cars in this emergency situation, highlighting cooperation within the steel industry.

The core 2nd cold rolling mill of the steelworks had to replace 11 out of 15 motor drives, devices that supply electricity to the rolling mill motors. Due to difficulties in short-term supply, normalization could have taken more than a year. Choi Jeong-woo, Chairman of the POSCO Group and leader of the World Steel Association, stepped in. He secured cooperation from Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of India’s JSW, who was also active as part of the association’s leadership. JSW willingly provided equipment originally being produced for its own hot rolling mill to POSCO, significantly accelerating the restoration schedule.

Choi Jung-woo, Chairman of POSCO Group (wearing a yellow safety vest in the center of the back row), visited the Blast Furnace Department at the Pohang Steelworks on the 10th to encourage employees and took a commemorative photo.
[Photo by POSCO]

Meanwhile, even amid the restoration, POSCO prepared support measures for customers, suppliers, and partners to protect the steel industry ecosystem. To alleviate supply concerns of customers, POSCO established one-on-one customized response plans including switching production at Gwangyang Steelworks, utilizing overseas business sites, and collaborating with other steelmakers for supply.

Additionally, using funds from the 'Steel ESG Win-Win Fund' and the 'Win-Win Cooperation Special Fund,' POSCO is providing liquidity support of 43.7 billion KRW to 25 companies affected by the flood damage. Separately, it is supporting 20.2 billion KRW in new equipment purchase funds for 24 partner companies.

POSCO stated, "Through the successful restoration journey of the Pohang Steelworks, we turned an unprecedented ordeal into new hope. The whole world said that building a steelworks in Korea was absolutely impossible, but just as we created a miracle by completing the construction of the Pohang Steelworks, POSCO has created a second miracle by restoring the Pohang Steelworks."

Going forward, POSCO plans to focus its capabilities on stabilizing production and improving efficiency for the fully operational facilities, while supplementing disaster preparedness systems according to recommendations from the joint civilian-government steel supply and demand investigation team.

On the 11th, raw material suppliers of POSCO, including Korea Zinc, sent food trucks to the Stainless Steel 1 Cold Rolling Plant and the Plating Plant at the Pohang Steelworks to provide snacks and support a safe recovery.
[Photo by POSCO]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.