Nucor sets 2030 target to use nuclear fusion

Recycled-content steel producer Nucor Corp., in a bid to further lower its carbon footprint, is collaborating with fusion power company Helion Energy Inc. to develop a 500-megawatt fusion power plant.

“This transformational project will offer baseload zero-carbon electricity from fusion directly to a Nucor steelmaking facility,” states Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor, which operates electric arc furnace (EAF) mills with considerable power requirements.

Nucor is working with Helion to set a firm timeline, with both companies “committed to beginning operations as soon as possible with a target of 2030.” Nucor has either not identified or has not chosen to disclose which of its EAF mills will be powered by the fusion power plant.

The steelmaker is making a direct investment of $35 million in Helion, which is based in Everett, Washington. “This is the first fusion energy agreement of this scale in the world and will pave the way for decarbonizing the entire industrial sector,” Nucor says.

With carbon emissions tracking in the metals industry and steel sector having become a priority, EAF producers like Nucor have touted their recycled content as a low-emissions factor in their favor.

However, EAF mills’ prodigious use of electricity, when powered by fossil fuels, can look less favorable on a carbon scorecard.

“Nucor is a large energy consumer—often among the largest in the states where we operate,” Nucor states in a fact sheet on the Helion investment. “Today, about 40 percent of the electricity Nucor uses comes from clean or renewable energy sources. To get to 100 percent clean energy, we will need an always-on, affordable baseload source of zero-carbon electricity.”

In addition to its collaboration with Helion, Nucor also will tap into solar energy in Kentucky. Last year, it also announced a nuclear energy-related investment in NuScale Power LLC.

“This agreement with Helion, along with recent investments in clean energy, can change the entire energy landscape and forever change the world, embracing a clean energy future we could have hardly imagined a few years ago,” Nucor President and CEO Leon Topalian says. “We believe in the technology Helion is building and are proud to make this investment.” 

The steel producer refers to Helion as having a history of innovation in fusion technology, including the construction of six working fusion prototypes. Currently, the firm is building its seventh prototype, Polaris, which is expected to be the first to demonstrate electricity generated from fusion.

“We are proud to have investment from Nucor and to have the opportunity to work together on this project,” Helion CEO David Kirtley says. “Their commitment to providing their customers with the lowest embodied carbon steel and steel products available makes them a great fit for deploying 500 megawatt equivalents of fusion power.”

In a two-page fact sheet, Nucor says, “It is estimated that if fusion is deployed at one of Nucor’s largest mills, we could see a 500,000 metric ton reduction in Scope 2 emissions annually.”