United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) (“U. S. Steel”) announced on January 11, 2022 that its next-generation highly sustainable and technologically advanced steel mill will be located in Osceola, Arkansas, close to U. S. Steel’s cutting-edge Big River Steel plant. The facility is engineered to bring together the most advanced technology to create the steel mill of the future that delivers profitable solutions for our customers.
The new mill is designed to extend U. S. Steel’s customer advantages as the company maps a bold path toward a more sustainable future. The new optimized steel production facility is expected to feature two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) with 3 million tons per year of advanced steelmaking capability, a state-of-the-art endless casting and rolling line, and advanced finishing capabilities. This first use of endless casting and rolling technology in the United States brings significant energy, efficiency, and capability enhancements to the company’s operations.
Upon completion, this project will apply to become LEED® certified. The site selection is subject to a number of factors, including final agreements with key partners. Permitting for the project is underway and the company expects to break ground in the first quarter of 2022, with project completion and full operation anticipated in 2024.
“With this location selected and shovels ready, we are reshaping the future of steelmaking,” said U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt. “We had numerous competitive site options, but Osceola offers our customers incomparable advantages.”
When completed, the sophisticated new steelmaking facility in combination with Big River Steel will form a 6.3 million ton mega mill capable of providing many of the most advanced and sustainable steels in North America. The new non-grain oriented electrical steel and galvalume/galvanizing lines currently under construction at Big River Steel will further advance U. S. Steel’s ability to respond to customers’ pressing supply chain needs to satisfy their own domestic manufacturing expansion. The location affords abundant, increasingly renewable and clean power from Entergy Arkansas, superior Class 1 rail service from BNSF with connections to other railroads, Mississippi River docks and interstate trucking access.
Burritt continued, “The State of Arkansas, Mississippi County, the City of Osceola, Entergy, BNSF, and other parties have all worked to make this the clear choice for a path to the future without roadblocks. We’re not going to make our stakeholders wait to see progress. We intend to break ground this quarter and get to work as soon as permits are in hand. With its extraordinarily low-cost structure, energy efficient production equipment, and advanced capabilities, this $3 billion project will yield significant benefits to our customers, stockholders, communities, employees, and contribute to a more sustainable world.”
“Our nation and our customers need a robust and resilient supply chain to meet consumers’ needs, and that starts with U. S. Steel’s advanced, sustainable steels. Steel is critical to so much of what the world builds, so how we make our products contributes directly to a better, more sustainable world for all. This new facility will build that future. Stay tuned. As we add this to our world-class Big River Steel facility, you’re going to be seeing great things as we advance the Best for AllSM future of steel.”
“Arkansas has created an ideal business environment for the growth of the steel industry in our state,” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said. “The investment and high paying jobs that will result from this announcement will make a real difference in the lives of many families in Northeast Arkansas. I am grateful for the support of the legislature which was critical in winning this expansion. Now, U. S. Steel is an important part of our future and we look forward to continued success in the coming years.”
“Mississippi County has become a national leader in steel production, and U. S. Steel’s decision to create ‘the steel mill of the future’ in this community continues to underscore why,” Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said. “Not only does Arkansas have a trained workforce, a reliable electrical grid, and easy access to river, rail, and highways, but it also has a governor, a General Assembly, and numerous community partners and stakeholders who recognize the importance of broadening economic opportunities for Arkansans and who will go the extra mile to compete for those opportunities. U. S. Steel is a highly regarded member of the state’s business community, and we are excited to continue our partnership with them as they establish the most advanced steelmaking facility in North America—right here in Arkansas.”
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