The first new California steelworks for over fifty years

The system STATCOM for this steel mill in California developed by Emmetitech is part of one of the most significant steelworks in the United States in recent decades: the first new steel mill built in the state for over fifty years.

The system is designed to produce armor steel, mainly from recycled scrap, with a declared nominal capacity of approximately 380.000 tons per year of straight tondo and coils. A project aimed at reducing process emissions, a concrete response to regulatory and market pressures on sustainability in the steel industry.

A steel mill of this magnitude is an extreme electric load. In order to function continuously and consistently with American standards, it requires a dedicated system of stabilization and filtering of the electrical network. Without it, the power voltage quality cannot be guaranteed — with direct effects on production continuity and useful life of equipment.

This is where Emmetitech comes in.

STATCOM Engineering for Pacific Steel Group: the system containerized

The Emmetitech engineering system is a medium voltage STATCOM system based on multi-level IGBT converters at H-Bridge cells, made in containerized configuration.

The containerized configuration is not an aesthetic choice, it is an engineering choice. The system is assembled, wired and tested in the factory before shipment, reducing the time and complexity of the site activities. For a construction plant in a remote area of California, this approach makes a difference.

What Emmetitech did: STATCOM engineering activities

Emmetitech has developed the basic engineering, already delivered, and detail engineering, currently underway. The activities cover the entire technical perimeter of the system:

  • Basic engineering: system architecture, technical specifications, interfaces with the steel supply substation.
  • Retail Engineering: complete executive documentation, electrical cards, layout, wiring specifications, interface documentation with control systems.
  • Harmonic filters: Filter engineering associated with the STATCOM system, dimensioned to comply with applicable regulatory limits.
  • 3D modelling:3D model of the containerized system for space verification, interference management and installation support on site.

All documentation has been developed in accordance with North American technical standards.

From Italy to California: skills without borders

The case study of STATCOM engineering in California for Emmetitech is one of the most articulated international orders in its recent history. Electrical power engineering, medium voltage conversion systems, harmonic filtering, 3D modeling, different disciplines, integrated into a single internally managed workflow.

The yard is in California, ten thousand kilometers from here. Emmetitech's skills. And the project shows that certain boundaries, in the engineering that counts, do not exist.