Annual production capacity would reach about 3.5 million tons
U.S. Steel said it plans to invest nearly $3 billion in a new hot strip mill at its plant near Pittsburgh. The company expects initial production in late 2029 and plans to begin construction after receiving the necessary permits.
Tokyo-based Nippon Steel owns U.S. Steel. The investment is intended to replace aging equipment with modern steelmaking technology and expand the range of steels the company can produce.
U.S. Steel expects annual production capacity at the Pittsburgh-area plant to rise to about 3.5 million tons from 2.2 million tons.
A hot strip mill makes steel slabs into thin coils used to manufacture vehicles, appliances and construction materials. The proposed mill would include walking beam furnaces and an in-line slab sizing press.
U.S. Steel said the new equipment would make the operation more efficient, use less fuel, eliminate a cutting step and reduce scrap.
The company also expects the project to expand the range of steels it can produce. U.S. Steel said the investment would help it compete more effectively in the automotive, appliance and line pipe markets.
“The steel this country needs for the future is coming to the Mon Valley today,” U.S. Steel’s Chief Manufacturing Officer Scott Buckiso said.