Charlotte-based steel giant Nucor to invest $200 million in SC plant expansion
Charlotte-based Nucor Corp. will invest $200 million to modernize a mill in the company’s latest expansion in South Carolina.
Nucor, one of the largest manufacturers of steel and steel products in North America, will invest $200 million over the next five years in Berkeley County, according to a news release Tuesday from S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s office.
The company will build an air separation unit to supply industrial gases to the mill’s steelmaking sheet and beam mill at 1455 Old Hagan Ave. in Huger, according to the news release. Huger is near the South Carolina coast, about 30 miles north of Charleston.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
The new unit, which will be operated by Nucor subsidiary UIG, will produce and supply all the gases needed for the mill.
“Nucor acquired UIG, LLC in 2019 so that we would have the capability to design, build and operate our own air separation units, giving us an alternative to long-term service contracts with outside providers,” Mike Lee, Nucor Steel Berkeley vice president and general manager, said in a statement.
Nucor Steel has been part of Berkeley County’s industrial sector for over 26 years, investing $1.3 billion since 1996, according to County Supervisor Johnny Cribb.
The Berkeley mill produces up to 3.5 million tons of flat-rolled sheet and structural steel per year for a myriad of industries, including agriculture, automotive and appliance, construction, energy generation and transmission, oil and gas, heavy equipment, infrastructure, and transportation. The facility has about 1,000 employees, according to Nucor’s news release Tuesday.
Nucor and Berkeley County also entered into a fee-in-lieu of tax agreement, according to the company. The S.C. Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved a $100,000 grant to Berkeley County for costs related to the project.
For job information, visit Nucor’s career page at nucor.com/careers.
Officials with Nucor and South Carolina did not immediately respond for comment about how many jobs the expansion would create.
Other Nucor expansions
Nucor Steel Berkeley is the latest expansion move in the past year by Nucor.
▪ In early August, Nucor said it would add a $100 million melt shop at its bar mill in Kingman, Arizona, creating 140 full-time jobs with an average salary of $85,000. Construction of the melt shop with capacity to produce 600,000 tons annually is expected to take two years, according to a company news release.
▪ In June, Nucor completed its acquisition of C.H.I. Overhead Doors from KKR & Co. Inc. for $3 billion. C.H.I. manufactures overhead door products for homes and businesses, as well as rolling steel and rubber doors for commercial and industrial customers. The company has about 800 workers at two manufacturing plants in Arthur, Illinois, and Terre Haute, Indiana.
The same month, Nucor entered into an agreement to acquire Summit Utility Structures and related company, Sovereign Steel Manufacturing, producers of metal poles and other steel structures for utility infrastructure and highway signage.
▪ In April, Nucor detailed plans for a $350 million expansion, adding 180 jobs to build its third rebar micro mill in Lexington, N.C.
That same month, Nucor said it would invest $15 million in NuScale Power, a developer of small modular reactor nuclear plants.
And, Nucor acquired steel racking manufacturer Elite Storage Solutions for $75 million with locations in Monroe, Georgia, and Chandler, Arizona.
▪ In January, Nucor said it planned to build a $2.7 billion sheet mill in Mason County, West Virginia, with capacity to produce 3 million tons of steel annually.
▪ Last fall, the steel manufacturer said it would add a blast and prime line at its $1.7 billion steel plate mill under construction in Brandenburg, Kentucky, and create 400 jobs. It’s expected to open later this year.
▪ Last August, Nucor acquired two insulated metal panel brands from Cary-based Cornerstone Building Brands for $1 billion, the Observer reported. The deal added 830 employees from seven Cornerstone manufacturing sites, three offices and a product center.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 10:31 AM.