JSW plans investment in Texas

The JSW Steel USA Inc. business unit of India’s JSW Group is planning to invest $110 million to upgrade steel plate-making operations at its mill in Baytown, Texas.

Calling it a modernization project, JSW's investment will involve the installation of sustainable technology and equipment to enable the production of high-quality monopile steel plates to support efforts in the United States to expand offshore wind energy.

“Steel products made through this investment are aligned with ‘Buy America’ requirements for niche grades and sophisticated applications such as hydrocarbon pipelines, offshore wind towers, offshore wind platforms, high-density pressure vessels, monopile steel plates and platforms for offshore wind towers," the company says.

“The new investments at our Baytown, Texas, facility reinforce JSW USA’s commitment to a sustainable and green future,” JSW Steel USA Director Parth Jindal adds. “The new upgrades at our plate mill support the long-term environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiative of JSW USA and support decarbonization of the energy spectrum in the United States of America.”

Jindal says the upgrades also will provide for the delivery of high-quality steel products while further defining its niche markets through a "Made in America" specialty steel portfolio.

"These investments have the potential to significantly reduce U.S. import reliance in the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors," he adds.

“JSW's continued investment in its Baytown facility and enduring partnership with the state of Texas reflects the company’s ethos of ‘Better Every Day,'" says Rob Simon, CEO of JSW Steel USA. "By supplying the critical high-grade steel products for U.S. offshore wind deployment, JSW is committed to a cleaner, greener and better tomorrow. I am proud to announce this investment, as a reflection of the long-lasting relationship between the U.S. and India in this critical industry.”

A 2023 JSW Steel Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) document posted to the JSW Steel USA website indicates steel the firm produces in the U.S. has an average 65 percent recycled content. The company has electric arc furnace (EAF) melt shops in Baytown and in Mingo Junction, Ohio.

JSW Steel USA says it has long championed the Department of Energy’s emission reduction priorities and applauds the U.S. administration’s recent efforts to champion investments that promote industrial decarbonization across the iron and steel industry.

The company says the investment in Baytown, which it predicts will be complete by 2026, “further builds upon JSW USA’s recent $145 million investment in its Mingo Junction facility to upgrade its ‘clean steel’ manufacturing processes.”