Steel Mills

SSAB Touts Sustainable Circular Economy
June 9, 2023
SSAB Americas, MidAmerican Energy, and Arcosa Wind Towers met on Tuesday, June 7, with Iowa governor Kim Reynolds to discuss increasing sustainable product solutions, highlighting the companies’ circular supply chain.
All three companies are based in the state, with steelmaker SSAB Americas part of Swedish parent company SSAB; Arcosa Wind Towers making energy products; and MidAmerican Energy providing electricity and natural gas.
Schmitt highlighted the companies’ “circular supply chain economy,” noting that SSAB’s plant in Muscatine, Iowa, makes sustainable steel products using renewable wind energy supplied by MidAmerican Energy, including SSAB Zero™, “the world’s first 0.0 CO2e steel plate.”
In Newton, Iowa, Arcosa Wind Towers uses SSAB Americas sustainable steel plate to make sustainable steel wind tower products, Schmitt said.
He added that across Iowa, MidAmerican Energy takes those sustainable steel wind towers and puts wind turbines into production generating renewable electricity, which, in turn, is used to power SSAB Americas steel operations.
“The partnership between SSAB, Arcosa, and MidAmerican Energy leverages the strengths of three world-class companies to produce zero carbon emissions steel, using wind-powered electricity that will reinforce Iowa’s reputation as a leader in renewable energy,” Gov. Reynolds said in a statement released by SSAB Americas on June 8.
“As businesses, we are grateful and fortunate to be located in the state of Iowa,” said SSAB Americas president Chuck Schmitt. “Gov. Reynolds has developed the economic fundamentals that propel growth, creativity and success.”
By Ethan Bernard, ethan@steelmarketupdate.com
Latest in Steel Mills

USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.

ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).

Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!

AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).