Steel Mills

Nucor's Louisiana DRI Plant Back in Operation

April 30, 2020

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.