Evraz Breaks Ground on $500 Million, Solar-Powered Rail Mill

It will allow Evraz to make 300-foot rail segments that can be welded and shipped in quarter-mile segments. Longer rail lengths mean fewer welds, which increases safety.

“New techniques, new less-costly manufacturing processes, evolving customer demand and intense global competition are changing the industry,” Evraz North America President and CEO Skip Herald said.

And that competition is not only about quality, it’s also about emitting less carbon. To that end, Evraz has partnered with Xcel Energy and BP Lightsource to ensure that the new rail mill is powered by solar energy, the company said.

Herald also applauded the local United Steelworkers (USW) union for championing the expansion. “Our respect for the character and work ethic of the Pueblo community is deep, and it is the essential ingredient that ensured this new, state-of-the-art facility would be built here,” he said.

The Pueblo mill sports an electric arc furnace (EAF) with capacity of 1.1 million tons per year, according to the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s 2021 Directory of Iron and Steel Plants. That single EAF feeds rail, seamless pipe, and rod and bar mills.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com