Steel Mills
Nucor Partners With Electra on 'Zero-Carbon' Iron
Written by Becca Moczygemba
December 8, 2022
Nucor Corp. has partnered with Boulder, Colo.-based startup Electra to develop “carbon-free” iron. The goal is to further reduce greenhouse gas emission in Nucor’s steelmaking operations.
“Just as Nucor changed the face of the steel industry 53 years ago with our first electric arc furnace, successfully developing and scaling up a zero-carbon iron product is the type of transformative technology that could change the steel industry as we know it,” Nucor chair, president and CEO Leon Topalian said in a statement on Thursday, Nov. 8.
The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker also said it had made an equity investment in Electra. It did not disclose the amount of that investment.
Electra uses renewable energy to refine low-grade iron ores into high-purity iron through electrochemical and hydrometallurgical processes. The company can refine iron ore into pure iron at 140 degrees Fahrenheit using renewable electricity. After the refinement process, the iron can be used to make steel via electric arc furnaces (EAF), ultimately producing carbon-free steel, Nucor said.
“We are focused on investing our capital on opportunities like these that have the potential to take our company and the entire industry to the next level,” said Doug Jellison, Nucor’s executive vice president of raw materials, and a member of Electra’s market advisory board.
As demand for fossil-free steel continues to increase globally, many steel producers are engaging in partnerships that align with battling climate change. We previously wrote about SSAB’s collaboration for the HYBRIT initiative, ArcelorMittal’s carbon capture technology project, and US Steel’s effort to establish a clean energy hub in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia tri-state area. Though the areas of investment span across a range of different technologies, the end goal is the same: produce the cleanest steel possible.
By Becca Moczygemba, Becca@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Becca Moczygemba
Read more from Becca MoczygembaLatest in Steel Mills
Atlas completes Evraz NA deal, renames firm, and hires former USS exec as CEO
Atlas Holdings has completed its acquisition of Evraz North America (Evraz NA) and its subsidiaries.
ArcelorMittal: As tariffs slow global growth, Calvert could be a bright spot
ArcelorMittal expects less demand growth across most of the markets it operates in, including the US, because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. But the Luxembourg-based steelmaker also thinks it stands to benefit from an increasingly regionalized world thanks to investments like the new EAF at its mill in Calvert, Ala.
Ternium posts solid Q2, expects further shipment growth
Latin American steel producer Ternium delivered a solid performance in the second quarter of 2025. Performance was driven primarily by higher realized steel prices in Mexico, even as shipment volumes declined slightly across its regional portfolio.
Algoma swings to loss on ‘unprecedented disruptions’ and trade barriers
Canada’s Algoma Steel saw a sharp loss in the second quarter amid a continued challenging market environment and “tariff uncertainties.”
Nucor eyes long-term gains amid strong demand and trade enforcement
Resilient demand across its steel product lines, combined with the continued ramp-up of key expansion projects, drove Nucor’s improved financial results and record-setting performance in the second quarter. That’s according to company executives speaking on an earnings conference call on Tuesday.