Five years after selling most of its aging Northwest Indiana operations, Schererville-based ArcelorMittal North America will build a new $1.2 billion steel mill in Alabama.
The company, a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, plans to build an advanced, non-grain-oriented electrical steel manufacturing plant near AM/NS Calvert, which it jointly owns with Nippon Steel and will end up entirely owning if Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel goes through. Nippon Steel agreed to divest its stake in the joint venture to satisfy antitrust regulators.
ArcelorMittal's new mill will be able to make up to 150,000 metric tons of non-grain-oriented electrical steel annually for electric vehicles, renewable energy production and other end uses, such as generators and electric motors. It would compete with Cleveland-Cliffs, which was once the only U.S. steelmaker to make non-grain-oriented electrical steel for the fast-growing EV market, and U.S. Steel, which started producing it at its Big River Steel mill in Arkansas.
“We recognize the importance of creating a resilient, sustainable domestic supply chain for this critical material,” said John Brett, CEO of ArcelorMittal North America.
The project is expected to create 1,300 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent jobs. Workers will make steel for EVs, hybrids and other energy technologies.
“ArcelorMittal’s $1.2 billion investment not only strengthens Alabama’s position as a key player in the steel industry but also paves the way for innovation in electric motors and renewable energy technologies,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. “While creating more than 200 new jobs, this project will also bring tremendous economic benefits to our state and underscores Alabama’s commitment to supporting companies that drive progress and create opportunities for our citizens.”
Construction is expected to start in the second half of the year. The mill will come online in 2027.
“Alabama’s steelmaking heritage is a bedrock of our industrial identity," U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, said. "This $1.2 billion investment represents next-generation innovation that will strengthen our state and nation’s national security capabilities. Onshoring critical supply chains is imperative to fuel a powerful new era of Made in America excellence. I’m proud of how Alabamians continue to lead the way in furthering America’s global manufacturing leadership.”
The new plant will include an annealing pickling line, a cold-rolling mill, an annealing coating line, a packaging and slitter line and other steelmaking equipment. The nearby AM/NS Calvert mill has a river terminal, a hot strip mill, a cold rolling mill, hot dip galvanizing lines, a rail yard and a new electric arc furnace that's under construction.
ArcelorMittal has a footprint in more than 60 countries, including a Global R&D Center in East Chicago. It made 57.9 million tons of steel and produced 42.4 million tons of iron ore last year, pulling in revenue of $62.4 billion. It had been the largest steelmaker in the world until it sold off its U.S. operations to Cleveland-Cliffs in late 2020.
The state-owned China Baowu surpassed ArcelorMittal as the world's largest steelmaker by volume, according to the World Steel Association.
© Copyright 2025, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN