Steel Mills

Big River Steel Running Second Line Near 90% Capacity
Written by Michael Cowden
January 8, 2021
Big River Steel is running the new, second line at its steel mill in Osceola, Ark., at close to 90% of its rated capacity. “Big River Steel expected and has had another record startup in terms of its second furnace and caster,” said a company spokesperson in an email to Steel Market Update.
The company in October struck an arc at the mill’s new, second EAF and produced its first commercial-grade coil in November.
The expansion is expected to double Big River’s rated capacity from 1.65 million tons to 3.3 million tons per year.
The increased raw materials requirements associated with running two EAFs left Big River scrambling for scrap and paying a significant premium to secure it, some market participants said, noting that the company must compete with the likes of Nucor and Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) for metallics.
The Big River spokesperson did not confirm those rumors. “The Big River Steel team, working closely with our metallics partner, Koch, has done a nice job of keeping up with our increased consumption of metallics,” she said.
Koch Industries, one of the biggest private companies on the U.S., has also been among Big River’s biggest stakeholders.
U.S. Steel, which owns a 49.9% stake in Big River, has announced plans to acquire the remaining 50.1% of the company. That deal is expected to close in the first quarter of this year.
“The acquisition is not final yet,” a U.S. Steel spokesperson confirmed. And a more precise timeframe for when the pact might close is not yet available, she added.
Michael Cowden, michael@steelmarketupdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Mills

Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.

Steel Summit: Burritt says USS and Nippon are fast-tracking modern steelmaking
U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt told audiences at SMU's Steel Summit 2025 that the iconic American steelmaker’s partnership with Nippon Steel is fast-tracking smarter steel production.

Nucor moves to stop HRC price slide with $10/ton hike
Nucor is attempting to halt the decline in hot-rolled coil prices with the announcement of a $10-per-short-ton increase in its weekly consumer spot price on Monday.

Explosion rocks ArcelorMittal’s DR plant in Mexico
ArcelorMittal reported a "strong" explosion at the direct reduction part of its massive Lazaro Cardenas mill in Mexico.

SDI to acquire remaining stake in New Process Steel
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) announced that it has agreed to acquire the remaining 55% equity interest in New Process Steel.