Led by Steel Mills, Arkansas Sees $6.4 Billion in Projects Under Construction

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking more than $6.4 billion worth of projects under construction in Arkansas. Thanks to some large steel mill projects, the Metals & Minerals Industry leads the state in terms of overall project value, with more than $3.6 billion worth of projects.

Easily the largest industrial project under construction in Arkansas is United States Steel Corporation's (NYSE:X) (U.S. Steel) (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) addition of a steel minimill at its complex in Osceola. The minimill will include two state-of-the-art electric arc furnaces, providing 3 million tons per year of steelmaking capability, as well as an endless casting and rolling line. According to a presentation released by the company, U.S. Steel plans for steel from the new mill to target automotive, appliance and construction end-markets with a product mix of 40% cold-rolled steel, 30% hot-rolled steel and 30% coated steel. Construction kicked off in early 2022 and is expected to be completed toward the end of 2024.

At U.S. Steel's existing 3.3 million-ton-per-year minimill at the Osceola complex, the company is constructing a new 200,000-ton-per-year non-grain-oriented (NGO) electric steel line to help meet growing demand from the electric vehicle market. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here to see the report on the new minimill and click here for the report on the NGO line.

Other steel projects underway in Arkansas include Majestic Steel USA Incorporated's (Cleveland, Ohio) steel-processing plant in Blytheville. The 515,000-square-foot facility will provide space to process, warehouse and distribute steel obtained from a nearby Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina) plant. Majestic executives say the proximity to Nucor's mill will create greater supply-chain optimization, operational efficiencies and shorter lead times for customers in the central and southern U.S. Construction is nearing completion. Subscribers can click here for the full report.

Coming in a distant second place in terms of project value is the Power Industry, mostly in the form of solar power facilities. Among the largest of these projects is NextEra Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) Big Cypress photovoltaic plant near Turrell, about 25 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The facility will use approximately 300,000 solar modules to provide a nameplate generating capacity of 180 megawatts (MW). Engineering, procurement and construction contractor Moss & Associates Construction Company LLC (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is expected to wrap up construction by the end of this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for more details.

The Food & Beverage Industry also makes a strong showing in the state, with nearly $500 million worth of projects underway. Hostess Brands Incorporated (Lenexa, Kansas) is renovating a shuttered factory in Arkedelphia with new bakery equipment and distribution facilities. According to Hostess, the new plant will increase the company's capacity for its Donettes and cake platforms by 20% to help meet growing demand for its sweet snacks. Construction kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can click here for the full report.

Other Food & Beverage projects include Freshpet Incorporated's (Secaucus, New Jersey) expansion of its pet food-manufacturing plant in Fort Smith. The project, which kicked off in early 2022, entails constructing a 90,000-square-foot building addition that includes 47,000 square feet of warehouse space and two new production lines. Construction is expected to wrap up this summer. Subscribers can click here for more information.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to see reports for all of the projects discussed in this article, and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).