Steel Mills

Nucor's Louisiana DRI Plant Back in Operation

Written by Tim Triplett


Nucor has resumed production at its Louisiana direct-reduced-iron plant, but its DRI facility in Trinidad remains closed.

As company executives reported during their conference call on Tuesday, the Louisiana facility was brought safely back online after a brief pause earlier this month. “Our DRI plants give us a great deal of flexibility and are a critical part of our overall raw materials sourcing strategy,” said a Nucor spokesperson.

Nucor’s Nu-Iron facility in Trinidad remains down subject to a government order. “Although we are still awaiting a decision, we expect to resume operations there fairly quickly,” the spokesperson added. 

Nucor’s access to DRI gives it an advantage, given the tight availability of prime scrap as a result of the automotive plant shutdowns. “We can flex between pig iron sourced on the seaborne market, our own two DRI plants and our DJJ scrap yards. So, we really do have the ultimate ability to shift and flex in that regard,” said Craig Feldman, Nucor executive vice president.

Latest in Steel Mills

USS threatens to cut ‘thousands’ of jobs, move HQ if Nippon sale blocked

U.S. Steel could slash thousands of jobs, shift away from integrated steelmaking, and move its headquarters out of Pittsburgh if its acquisition by Nippon Steel isn’t completed, the company’s top executive said. “We want elected leaders and other key decision makers to recognize the benefits of the deal was well as the unavoidable consequences if the deal fails,” company President and CEO David Burritt said in a statement on Wednesday.