Steel, Aluminum Revival Fuels $3.25 Billion in Great Lakes Metals & Minerals Kickoffs in Second Quarter

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--One year after President Donald Trump signed orders imposing steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, domestic production of the two commodities is fueling projects in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry, particularly in the region often seen as the heart of the business. Industrial Info is tracking more than $3.25 billion in active Metals & Minerals Industry projects that are set to begin construction in the U.S. Great Lakes region in the second quarter, more than 75% of which is attributed to projects in Ohio.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Metals & Minerals projects set to kick off in the U.S. Great Lakes region from April through June, by industry sector.

The Great Lakes region includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The two highest-valued projects in Ohio represent two of the most active sectors within the industry: glass production and steel manufacturing. Pilkington North America Incorporated (Toledo, Ohio), a subsidiary of Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (NSG Group) (Tokyo, Japan), is proposing an estimated $294 million float glass plant in Luckey, Ohio, which would support the parent company's solar business with an increased production of transparent, conductive, oxide-coated glass.

According to a recent report from Market Research Engine, the global solar-photovoltaic glass market is expected to exceed $32.5 billion in value by 2024, driven in part by growing demand for residential solar applications and supportive policies from various governments worldwide. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

JSW Group (Mumbai, India) is among a growing number of foreign-owned steel producers broadening its footprint in the U.S., with a proposed, $250 million electric arc furnace addition at its South Steel Mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio. Local residents applauded JSW's decision last year to purchase and reopen the facility, which had been closed by another company in 2009, which created about 230 jobs, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

JSW's U.S. subsidiary says a second furnace will add as many as 1,000 jobs and double the mill's capacity to 3 million tons per year. The project is currently scheduled to wrap up in third-quarter 2020, although many factors could delay or eliminate the projected investment. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Illinois is in a distant second place among Great Lakes states in its total investment value for Metals & Minerals projects set to kick off from April through June. But its largest project hails from a sector that leads almost all others in total investment: mining. Knight Hawk Coal LLC (Percy, Illinois) is proposing a $200 million life extension at its Blackhawk Coal Mine near Sparta, Illinois, which draws from the Illinois Basin. The company plans to add seven or eight years to the mine's life by expanding its reach into an adjacent reserve via conventional surface mining. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Kentucky is among those states best known for their coal-mining capacities, as reflected in another development: Hartshorne Mining Group LLC, a subsidiary of Paringa Resources Limited (Perth, Western Australia), is preparing to kick off a $100 million Buck Creek Cypress coal mine in Rumsey, Kentucky, which the company says will produce 3.8 million tons per year of clean coal over an 18-year mine life. In conjunction with the adjacent Poplar Grove mine, also owned by Hartshorne and Paringa, the Cypress mine will have its own coal-preparation plant and a loading dock on Kentucky's Green River. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Matalco Incorporated (Brampton, Ontario) announced earlier this year that it is planning an $80 million billet-manufacturing facility in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, which would produce 230 million pounds per year of high-quality aluminum billet. Construction is expected to wrap up in about one year. According to Recycling Today, Matalco produces homogenized, 6000-series aluminum logs and cut billets, primarily from scrap, for the aluminum extrusion and forging manufacturing industries. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.