Nucor picks North Carolina for site of new rebar micro-mill: company

Nucor will build its new rebar micro-mill in Lexington, North Carolina, with an annual capacity of 430,000 st, as the company expects to see increased demand in the region due to US federal infrastructure spending, it said April 7.

"The corridor between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta is one of the fastest-growing regions in our nation, and new federal spending for infrastructure will further increase demand for rebar in the region," Nucor CEO Leon Topalian said in a statement.

The company first announced plans to build a third rebar micro-mill in the US in December following passage of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill in November 2021. The infrastructure law includes Buy American provisions to encourage the use of US-made steel and other inputs in projects that receive federal funding, and marks the largest investment in US infrastructure since the Federal Highway Act of 1956.

The American Iron and Steel Institute has estimated that for every $100 billion of new investment in infrastructure, it could increase demand for domestic steel by as much as 5 million st.

Rebar, which Nucor will produce at the new mill, is used primarily in concrete reinforcement for the construction of roads, buildings, bridges and other structures.

Nucor currently operates rebar micro-mills Missouri and Florida, with a total 15 bar mills across the US.

The new facility, which is expected to cost about $350 million, will produce steel with nearly 100% recycled content, Topalian added. Nucor steel bar products contain 97% recycled content, according to the company.

The sustainability of steel production has been of growing focus globally as steelmakers look to decarbonize.

Domestically, the Biden Administration in February said it would take steps to support US production and procurement of steel and aluminum made with lower-carbon methods, including the establishment of a "Buy Clean Task Force" comprising several government agencies to encourage the purchase and use of more sustainably manufactured construction materials.