US Steel has chosen to build its new electric arc furnace (EAF) flat-rolled steel mill in Osceola, Arkansas, next to its existing Big River Steel operations.
The 3mn short ton/yr plant will be located just south of the existing 3.3mn st/yr Big River Steel EAF mill on the Mississippi river, creating what US Steel is dubbing a "mega mill."
The announcement comes after Arkansas state lawmakers passed incentives in December to encourage US Steel to choose the state for the facility.
US Steel announced the new $3bn mill in mid-September 2021. It will have two EAFs, an endless casting and rolling line, and advanced finishing capabilities. Ground is expected to be broken in the first quarter of 2022, with the mill becoming operational in 2024.
Production will consist of 40pc cold-rolled coil (CRC), and 30pc each for hot-rolled coil (HRC) and hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coils. The mill will include a 1mn st/yr galvanizing capacity across two lines, 165,000 st/yr paint capacity, and 250,000 st/yr of slitting capacity.
EAF steelmaker Nucor is also working to finalize where it will site its own 3mn st/yr flat-rolled mill. Lawmakers in West Virginia have spent the last few days passing their own tax incentives to entice Nucor to site its facility in their state.
