Bluestone Coke announced Sunday it is temporarily idling coke operations at its Birmingham facility in order to accelerate renovations and increase safety.
Much of the current workforce will remain on the job to perform the renovation and maintenance duties. Bluestone regrets that some employees and its customers will be inconvenienced in the short term but is confident the facility will be back to full capacity soon.
Bluestone bought the ERP Coke facility in North Birmingham in July 2019. At the time of acquisition, the facility was financially strapped and in immediate danger of closure. Bluestone stepped in to rescue this facility that had been deteriorating for an extended period of time due to the financial condition of the facility — not only under ERP but also under its predecessor Walter Energy who filed bankruptcy in 2015.
During the last two-plus years, Bluestone has invested tens of millions of dollars into the facility in making repairs to make the facility more compliant. Although much has been achieved, there is still work to be done to ensure safety and sustainable production. Due to the nature of the work that is remaining, Bluestone has determined it is best for the facility’s long-term viability to idle the plant today so that the rebuild and refurbishment work can begin on the three coke batteries and the associated facilities.
Bluestone looks forward to the refurbished facility. Its newly repaired ovens can be the premier foundry and furnace merchant coke producer in the United States for decades to come. This significant investment will pave the way for the facility to be a compliant, significant Alabama employer for the future.
Barring any unforeseen permitting or supply chain delays, Bluestone anticipates the initial phase at the facility to resume coke production on April 15, 2022. With these repairs once all completed, Bluestone will be able to produce both foundry and furnace coke in a dependable and compliant manner from all of its existing 120 coke ovens. Bluestone targets an employment growth due to these efforts, and should result in the employment of 250 Alabamians.
