Nucor introduces Elcyon sustainable steel product for offshore wind energy applications

Steel manufacturer Nucor Corp., Charlotte, North Carolina, has introduced Elcyon, a new sustainable heavy gauge steel plate product the company says is made specifically to meet the growing demands of offshore wind energy producers in the U.S. that are building the green economy and its infrastructure.

Nucor says it will manufacture Elcyon at its new $1.7 billion steel mill in Brandenburg, Kentucky, which produced its first steel plate at the end of December 2022.

RELATED: Nucor rolling mill starts operating

“By launching Elcyon at Brandenburg we have effectively created the first domestic supply chain of sustainable steel for our nation’s offshore wind energy industry,” Nucor Chair, President and CEO Leon Topalian says. “As demand for alternative energy sources like offshore wind continues to grow and manufacturers push for larger turbines, Elcyon’s larger and thicker plate sizes will help the United States become a leader in offshore wind production.”

The company says Elcyon is a clean, advanced steel product made using its recycled scrap-based electric arc furnace manufacturing process. Nucor adds that its circular steelmaking route has a greenhouse gas emissions intensity that is one-fifth the global blast furnace extractive steelmaking average, based on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Nucor will utilize thermo-mechanical controlled processing (TMCP) at the new mill, which it says will make Elcyon the only steel of its kind in the U.S. created specifically to meet the rigorous quality standards of offshore wind energy designers, manufacturers and fabricators.

Along with meeting Euronorm specifications, Nucor says Elcyon is characterized by larger plate dimensions, improved weldability and excellent fracture toughness. The company expects to offer Elcyon in a wide range of plate grades and sizes, working closely with end users to meet their needs.

Nucor’s Brandenburg mill is the first steel plant in the world to pursue certification under LEED v4 from the U.S. Green Building Council, the company says. The mill is located in the middle of the largest steel plate-consuming region in the country and will be able to produce 97 percent of plate products consumed domestically, with a potential output of 1.2 million tons of steel per year.

“We continue to invest and build the recycled steel facilities that will help make our clean energy future a reality,” says Johnny Jacobs, vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Brandenburg. “Our Elcyon steel plate is another example of Nucor’s commitment to sustainability and our focus on providing a differentiated value proposition by making products that no one else is making.”

RELATED: Nucor opts for West Virginia as EAF mill site