The Ironton Tribune

HAVERHILL — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has given final permission to the Haverhill North Coke Company, enabling it to modify its air permit.

The change will allow the coke plant to reduce the number of coke ovens from 400 to 200, increase its sulfur content in the coal used to make coke and reduces from 14 to eight the number of days each year the company may bypass emission control equipment during system maintenance.

The newly modified permit also includes emission limits and controls for mercury, something was not in the original permit.

The EPA issued the coke plant its air permit in December 2003. At that time, corporate officials planned a two-phase construction, with 100 ovens built in the first phase and an additional 300 in phase two.

The ovens constructed in the first phase went on line earlier this year, but spokesman Gerald Davis said plans for phase two were scaled back to reflect market demands.

“Construction on the scheduled second phase now depends on when Sun Coke finalizes negotiations with coke customers,” Davis said.

“Construction would start after that. We anticipate a 15-month construction.”

The required public hearing and comment period on the request was conducted in May by the EPA’s Portsmouth Air Agency.

The Haverhill facility is owned by Sun Coke Co., a subsidiary of Sunoco, Inc. The $157-million, 100-oven plant in eastern Scioto County began operations in March 2005 and now produces 550,000 tons of coke annually. That coke is used in the steel industry.