Texas Leads U.S. in Value of Metals & Minerals Projects Under Construction

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking about $15.8 billion in Metals & Minerals projects that are under construction in the U.S., with the Southwest market region leading in terms of project value, with $3.6 billion in projects. The Great Lakes and Rocky Mountains regions are neck-and-neck for second place with approximately $3.2 billion worth of projects each. Texas, thanks to one particularly large project, leads other U.S. states in terms of value.

Click on the image at right for a breakdown by market region of Metals & Minerals projects under construction in the U.S.

Construction of Steel Dynamics Incorporated's (NASDAQ:STLD) (Fort Wayne, Indiana) grassroot flat-rolled steel mill in Sinton, Texas, near Corpus Christi, kicked off in late 2019. The plant will produce a variety of flat-rolled products, including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized and painted steel to help serve the energy, automotive, construction and appliance sectors. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. In May, the plant received a wastewater permit from the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, allowing it to discharge up to 1.5 million gallons a day of treated process wastewater and utility wastewater. Steel Dynamics said it would build wetlands to remove metals from the water and help protect a nearby creek. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the project report.

While the Sinton mill leads Texas into its top position in regard to project value, more than 15 other Metals & Minerals projects are underway in the state. Among is these Tianjin Pipe Group Limited's (Tianjin, China) Phase II addition project at a steel pipe rolling in mill near Gregory, on the Texas Gulf Coast. The project adds a manufacturing facility to produce oil country tubular goods (OCTG). The project kicked off in early 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now expected to be completed by the end of this year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

The Rocky Mountains market region edges out the Great Lakes for second position in regard to project value, thanks largely to remedial action being taken at a closed uranium mill by the U.S. Department of Energy near Moab, Utah. The project has been underway for more than 10 years and involves removing and transporting 16 million tons of uranium tailings by rail away from the site, where workers will cap it with nine feet of native soil and rock. In October of last year, the project shipped its 11 millionth ton of contaminated soil and debris to a disposal site away from the Colorado River, marking more than two-thirds completion. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

Rounding out the top three U.S. regions for Metals & Minerals projects under construction is the Great Lakes region, which has more than $2.1 billion of steel projects underway. These include North Star BlueScope Steel LLC's (Delta, Ohio) expansion of its steel minimill in Delta. The project was announced in 2019, and construction began later that year. The project entails constructing a new melt shop and installing a new electric arc furnace and slab caster. Earlier this year, when U.S. steel prices were soaring, BlueScope Chief Executive Officer Mark Vassella said, "Right now, I can't get the North Star project done quick enough, quite frankly, and the team out there are running at 1,000 miles an hour to bring it to market." he said. The North Star project is expected to be concluded next year. Subscribers can click here for the 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.