U.S. Steel has announced its “next-generation” highly sustainable and technologically advanced steel mill will be located in Osceola, close to the company’s Big River Steel plant in Northeast Arkansas.
United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer serving the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers and packaging industries with steel products such as U. S. Steel’s proprietary XG3™ advanced high-strength steel. The company maintains competitively advantaged iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 26.2 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Penn., with operations across the United States and in Central Europe.
The new optimized steel production facility is expected to feature two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) with 3 million tons per year of advanced steelmaking capability, a high-quality endless casting and rolling line and advanced finishing capabilities. This first use of endless casting and rolling technology in the United States brings significant energy, efficiency and capability enhancements to the company’s operations.
“With this location selected and shovels ready, we are reshaping the future of steelmaking,” said U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt. “We had numerous competitive site options, but Osceola offers our customers incomparable advantages.”
The project will apply to become LEED® certified upon completion. Site selection is subject to a number of factors, including final agreements with key partners. The location affords abundant, increasingly renewable and clean power from Entergy, Class 1 rail service from BNSF with connections to other railroads, Mississippi River docks and interstate trucking access. Permitting for the project is underway and U.S. Steel expects to break ground in the first quarter of 2022, with project completion and full operation anticipated in 2024.
“The State of Arkansas, Mississippi County, the City of Osceola, Entergy, BNSF, and other parties have all worked to make this the clear choice for a path to the future without roadblocks,” Burritt added. “We’re not going to make our stakeholders wait to see progress. We intend to break ground this quarter and get to work as soon as permits are in hand. With its extraordinarily low-cost structure, energy efficient production equipment, and advanced capabilities, this $3 billion project will yield significant benefits to our customers, stockholder, communities, employees, and contribute to a more sustainable world.”
When completed, the new steelmaking facility in combination with Big River Steel will form a 6.3 million ton “mega mill” capable of providing many of the most advanced and sustainable steels in North America.
“Mississippi County has become a national leader in steel production, and U. S. Steel’s decision to create ‘the steel mill of the future’ in this community continues to underscore why,” Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said. “Not only does Arkansas have a trained workforce, a reliable electrical grid, and easy access to river, rail, and highways, but it also has a governor, a General Assembly, and numerous community partners and stakeholders who recognize the importance of broadening economic opportunities for Arkansans and who will go the extra mile to compete for those opportunities. U. S. Steel is a highly regarded member of the state’s business community, and we are excited to continue our partnership with them as they establish the most advanced steelmaking facility in North America—right here in Arkansas.”
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