Nucor to add blast, prime line at Kentucky steel plate mill

Nucor will add a blast and prime line at its steel plate mill, currently under construction in Kentucky, to broaden the capabilities of the new mill, the company said Nov. 18.

The addition of a blast and prime line will allow the company to better serve customers in key markets, including military applications, infrastructure, heavy equipment, offshore wind and other energy products, Johnny Jacobs, vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Brandenburg, said in a statement.

The blast and prime line will have an annual capacity of about 120,000 st/year, Nucor said. Blasting and priming is used to remove mill scale from steel products and add corrosion protection.

Nucor first announced plans to build the $1.7 billion greenfield plate mill in January 2019. The new mill, located in Brandenberg, Kentucky, gives Nucor the ability to produce heavier and wider plates, up to 14 inches thick and 160 inches wide, with a capacity of 1.2 million st/year.

The mill's location puts it in the middle of the largest US steel plate consuming region and the company will be able to produce 97% of plate products consumed domestically, Nucor said.

Start up of the mill is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.

This will be Nucor's fourth plate mill with existing operations in North Carolina, Alabama and Texas.

US steel plate prices have been on an upward trajectory throughout most of 2021, with the daily S&P Global Platts TSI plate assessment surging 124% since the start of the year.

The Platts US A36 plate assessment stood at $1,880/st delivered Midwest on Nov. 17.