Steel Mills

Pacific Steel breaks ground on California rebar mill

Written by Ethan Bernard

March 10, 2025

Pacific Steel Group has broken ground on its Mojave Micro Mill in Southern California.

The San Diego, Calif.-based company said the mill in Mojave, Kern County, outside of Bakersfield, will be California’s first “zero process carbon emissions rebar mill.”

Once operating at full capacity, the micro mill will be able to produce ~450,000 short tons of steel rebar.

It is the first steel mill to be built in California in the last five decades, according to the company.

The facility will span 174 acres, with 63 acres dedicated to on-site renewable energy. It will incorporate a carbon capture system, secondary high-efficiency filtration, and NOX emissions mitigation.

Plant commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.

“This is a very exciting day for our company,” Pacific Steel Group CEO Eric Benson said at the groundbreaking on March 5. “It represents a culmination of nearly five years of work and is the first tangible step toward full vertical integration of our reinforcing steel operations.”

Local officials were also on hand to celebrate the moment.

“With over $600 million invested and more than 400 permanent jobs created, this project reinforces our position as the epicenter of industrial innovation in California,” Kern County District 2 Supervisor Chris Parlier said.

Pacific Steel Group touts itself as “the leading reinforcing steel fabrication and placement company in the Western United States.” It has offices across the region.

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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