Port of Corpus Christi Authority visits voestalpine in Linz

A high-ranking delegation of the port authority in Corpus Christi were guests in Linz from 16 to 20 September. The visit deepened a good business relationship and gave the delegation a healthy taste of Austrian culture.

The port facilities of voestalpine Texas LLC have been completed, and bot loading cranes are ready for operation. This milestone in the implementation of the largest investment project in the history of the voestalpine Steel Division was an opportunity to further deepen the business relationship on a more personal basis with POCCA (Port of Corpus Christi Authority). Following an extensive tour of the works on Thursday, voestalpine AG CEO Wolfgang Eder joined Herbert Eibensteiner, a member of the voestalpine AG Management Board and CEO of the Steel Division, in welcoming the high-ranking delegation from Texas to a business breakfast. The delegation was headed by John LaRue, Managing Director of the Port Authority.

The direct-reduction plant is built on a two-square-kilometer piece of land owned by POCCA and is being leased to voestalpine for a maximum contract period of eighty years. The land is one of the last pieces of industrial property on the Gulf Coast with direct access to a shipping channel, and the plant is the crown jewel of POCCA.

We soon realized that voestalpine would be the perfect partner because of its long-term strategy and positive attitude toward the environment. Another benefit is the steel-based technology group's positive contribution to our diversification strategy.
John LaRue, Managing Director of the Port Authority

POCCA selected voestalpine and its direct-reduction project from among several other interested parties.

Herbert Eibensteiner, Vorstandsmitglied der voestalpine AG und neuer Leiter der Steel Division
 The DRI plant in Corpus Christi is an essential contribution to the securement of our steel production at our Austrian manufacturing sites. In view of the high investment amount, a reliable partner with the same mindset is highly necessary. We are happy to have found such a partner in POCCA.
Herbert Eibensteiner, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and CEO of the Steel Division

A tour of the city of Linz and an excursion to the Salzkammergut rounded off the delegation's visit. "Austria and voestalpine have impressively demonstrated that environmental protection and industrial operations can be successfully harmonized. New avenues are being explored in Texas by voestalpine with this strategy," says David Engel, a member of the POCCA Supervisory Board. 

With more than 100 million tons of ocean freight handled each year, the seaport in Corpus Christi is the fifth-largest in the United States. The well developed port infrastructure consisting of roughly 60 kilometers of shipping lanes, a railway network with more than 100 kilometers of track and 48 berths is considered to be a powerhouse of the economy in Southern Texas. 

Construction of the direct-reduction plant is progressing according to schedule. Startup of the plant is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2016.