Steel Products

Nucor Gets Final Permit to Begin Work on W.Va. Mill

Written by Ethan Bernard

July 31, 2023

Nucor has received its final federal permit to begin construction on its sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it received the permit on Friday from the US Army Corps of Engineers to start work on the ~$3.1-billion project. Construction is set to begin immediately and expected to last approximately two years, Nucor said.

“We are extremely excited to move forward with the construction of this state-of-the-art sheet mill in West Virginia,” Leon Topalian, chair, president, and CEO of Nucor, said in a statement sent to SMU. “With its low-carbon footprint and advanced steelmaking capabilities, Nucor Steel West Virginia will be a leader in producing clean, high-quality steel for a range of end-use markets.”

Nucor noted that, when operational, the mill will have the capacity to produce up to 3 million tons of sheet steel per year.

“It will be equipped to produce 84-inch sheet products, and among other features, will include a 76-inch tandem cold mill and two galvanizing lines capable of producing advanced high-end automotive and construction grades,” Nucor said.

The company said as many as 2,000 construction workers will be employed during the building phase and ~800 full-time workers when the mill is fully operational. Nucor said it would be announcing the details of a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the site in the near future.

Separately, US Sen. Joe Manchin (D. – W.Va.) announced that the permit had been issued to Nucor on Friday. “The approval for this final permit is great news for Nucor Steel and our state, and I can’t wait to see the benefits this new facility will bring to West Virginia,” he said in a statement.

In a Q2 earnings call last week, Nucor said it anticipated the arrival of the permit and expected construction to begin within the next few weeks.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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