Steel Mills

Nucor Breaks Ground on West Virginia Sheet Mill

Written by Ethan Bernard

October 20, 2023

Nucor Corp. held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20, for its Nucor Steel West Virginia sheet mill in Mason County, W.Va.

“Today, we broke ground on the largest manufacturing investment in state history — Nucor Steel in Mason County,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.  

“Their decision to invest in West Virginia represents a true vote of confidence in our state’s strength, resilience, and readiness to seize opportunities,” he added.

US senators from the state, Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, were also present, as well as Nucor executives, according to a report in West Virginia’s MetroNews.

Situated on a 1,700-acre site, the $3.1-billion investment is expected to have a 3-million-ton sheet capacity, according to Nucor’s website.

With an expected 800 full-time employees, Nucor said the mill will have among the lowest carbon footprints of any sheet mill in the world. The mill will have a “high-end automotive galvanizing and construction line,” the website notes.

Construction is expected to last approximately two years, Nucor has said.

“While we’ve always made it our mission to be good stewards of the environment and the communities where we live and work, we know how this reach will impact this community,” Leon Topalian, Nucor chair, president, and CEO said during the ceremony, according to MetroNews.

The article noted that with 550 shovels lined up, the ceremony broke the Guinness World Record for most people to participate in a dig for a groundbreaking.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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