Nucor Corporation plans to build a new state of the art steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Kentucky, located along the Ohio River southwest of Louisville. The company will invest approximately $1.35 billion to build the mill, which will be capable of producing 1.2 million tons per year of steel plate products.
The plate mill will employ more than 400 full-time teammates at an average annual salary of $72,000, and is expected to be fully operational in 2022, pending permit and regulatory approvals.
“This strategic investment will enable us to build a clear market leadership position in the U.S. plate market. Kentucky is an excellent location for this mill, right in the center of America’s largest plate consuming region,” said John Ferriola, chairman, chief executive officer & president of Nucor Corporation. “Our acquisition of the Gallatin sheet mill in Ghent, Kentucky five years ago has been a tremendous success, and we are pleased to add a second mill in the state.”
The new plate mill will significantly strengthen Nucor’s plate product portfolio, giving the company the ability to produce 97 percent of the products demanded in the domestic plate market, including the specialty higher-margin products.
The new mill will produce cut-to-length, coiled, heat-treated and discrete plate ranging from 60 to 160” wide, and in gauges from 3/16 of an inch to 14”.
The selected location on the Ohio River will give Nucor logistical advantages in sourcing raw materials and serving customers throughout the Midwest. Nucor currently operates plate mills in North Carolina, Alabama and Texas.
Nucor has two additional major investment projects underway at its Gallatin sheet mill in Kentucky. Nucor Steel Gallatin’s new galvanizing line will be operational during the second quarter of this year. And, its project to increase Gallatin’s hot rolled coil capacity at expanded widths of up to 73 inches is expected to come online during 2021. The new plate mill and the projects at Nucor Steel Gallatin represent more than $2 billion in investments in the state of Kentucky.
Published in the May 2019 Edition
