Company Showcase: Nucor Makes Kentucky Part of U.S. Wind Energy Supply Chain

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Kentucky recently became part of the emerging supply chain for the U.S. offshore wind energy industry. Nucor Steel Brandenburg – a $1.7 billion state-of-the-art steel plate mill located along the Ohio River southwest of Louisville – rolled its first steel plate in December.

The new mill is a division of Nucor Corporation, the largest steel producer and recycler of any type of material in North America. Nucor accounts for more than one-quarter of all steel produced in the U.S., making 100 percent of its steel using electric arc furnaces (EAFs) that melt recycled scrap and turn it into new steel. By recycling steel, Nucor is one of the cleanest steel producers in the world, as it is five times less carbon-intensive than traditional blast furnace steelmaking.

Its Kentucky location uniquely positions the mill in the middle of the largest steel plate-consuming region in the United States, and the Ohio River gives Nucor logistical advantages in sourcing raw materials and serving its customers throughout the Midwest.

As the very first LEED v4-certified steel mill, Nucor Steel Brandenburg is helping to build the infrastructure of America’s green economy. Leveraging its state-of-the-art equipment, the mill’s more than 400 teammates will be able to produce 97% of the steel plate products consumed domestically. It will be among only a few mills globally - and the only U.S. mill - capable of manufacturing a new product to meet the growing demands of America’s offshore wind energy producers, Elcyon™.  Elcyon is a heavy gauge sustainable plate product made specifically for wind turbine monopile foundations.

Nucor Steel Brandenburg is Nucor’s second mill in Kentucky, following the company’s 2014 acquisition of Nucor Steel Gallatin LLC, a flat-rolled sheet mill located in Ghent. Today, Nucor employs approximately 1,800 full-time teammates in Kentucky and has invested nearly $4 billion to grow its diversified manufacturing presence in the Commonwealth.