Nucor to expand downstream products capacity

Recycled-content electric arc furnace steelmaker Nucor Corp. has announced that its Towers & Structures business unit will build its fourth overall and third new utility structures production facility in Brigham City, Utah.

According to Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor, the Utah plant will join two others it currently is completing in Decatur, Alabama, and Crawfordsville, Indiana. The planned $200 million Utah facility will be located on Nucor's existing Brigham City building systems campus there.

“Nucor has a strong presence in the West, and locating this new facility in Utah positions us to meet growing demand for utility infrastructure in the region resulting from distributed energy projects, data centers and population growth,” says Leon Topalian, board chair, president and CEO of Nucor.

Adds the CEO, “As a global leader in sustainable steelmaking, we believe our nation’s energy infrastructure should be built with American-made low embodied carbon steel.”

The steelmaking firm, which also operates the David J. Joseph Co. network of metals recycling facilities, says it foresees an “expansive electric transmission buildout” being planned in the western United States.

“Demand for utility infrastructure in the region is being fueled by new energy supply, grid-hardening initiatives and increased load growth from data centers, EV charging stations and electrification,” states Nucor.

The firm predicts its Utah production facility will enjoy a freight advantage compared to competitors outside the region. The plant will bring in steel plate and sheet from Nucor steel mills by rail freight, says Nucor.

“Nucor has been doing business in Brigham City for more than 40 years and we are excited to expand our existing campus of Nucor facilities,” says Laurent De Mey, a vice president with Nucor Towers & Structures. “Utah is a great state to do business in, and we appreciate the support we have received from Brigham City, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, Utah Inland Port Authority and the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity.”

Nucor formed its Towers & Structures business unit in 2022 when it acquired Summit Utility Structures, a Pennsylvania-based producer of steel poles and steel structures for utility infrastructure.

In addition to building the new Towers & Structures facilities in Alabama, Indiana and Utah, Nucor says it is investing in the former Summit location in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to serve customers in the Northeast.

Nucor says it expects to begin production at its new Towers & Structures facilities in Alabama and Indiana in the first half of this year.