Environment and Energy

Nucor: Brandenburg Rolls First Plate, Targeting Q1 Shipments

Written by David Schollaert

January 3, 2023

Nucor Corp. rolled its first steel plate at its new $1.7-billion plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky., on Dec. 30, the company said in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker confirmed final commissioning and first customer shipments from the mill are expected in the first quarter of 2023.

Nucor

“Congratulations to our more than 400 teammates for achieving this important milestone,” said Leon Topalian, Nucor’s chair, president, and CEO. “We are looking forward to supplying not only the highest quality steel but also the most sustainable plate products in the world for our nation’s military, infrastructure, heavy equipment, offshore wind, and other markets.”

The Brandenburg plate mill — slated to have an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons — is one of very few mills worldwide and the only one in the US capable of manufacturing at scale the heavy-gauge plate critical for monopile foundations and offshore wind farms, the release said.

Nucor looks to capitalize on what it anticipates being roughly 7.5 million tons of new steel demand because of the $300 billion for clean energy development and climate programs included in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act.

The ultramodern mill can produce 97% of plate products consumed domestically and is centrally located in the country’s largest steel plate-consuming region. Also of note, is Nucor’s pursuit of LEED v4 for Building and Design certification for its new plate mill, a certification even more rigorous than previous LEED rating systems, within categories of sustainable performance, climate change, and third-party transparency and reporting requirements.

“We are proud to bring high-quality manufacturing jobs to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and look forward to being part of the Brandenburg community for many decades,” said Johnny Jacobs, VP, and GM of Nucor Steel Brandenburg.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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