An explosion occurred on 19 August 2011, at the No. 2 blast furnace at POSCO’s Gwangyang Steelworks. The explosion happened as a result of a leak from a gas pipe, but no casualties were reported. Production operations at the No. 2 blast furnace have been halted; POSCO has said the stoppage would not cause any reduction in the steel output of the company as the other blast furnaces at the plant are able to raise their production capacity utilization rates. The annual production capacity of the No. 2 blast furnace is 3.5 million mt. The company has yet to issue a date for the resumption of production at the blast furnace.