U.S. Metals & Minerals Projects to Add 1.2 GW of Power Demand

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

The U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry is consuming plenty of energy to produce materials for data centers, chip-manufacturing plants and the electric-vehicle market; these projects are among the top contributors to an expected 1.2 GW of electricity demand from the industry.

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A Jolt to the System

Industrial Info Resources estimates that new projects under construction in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry will add 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity demand. These projects are in various stages of construction, from civil/site preparation through commissioning, and they are scheduled to begin operations between now and 2028.

Among the new-build projects are new mines, steel mills, critical minerals refineries, smelters and battery-metal developments, all of which are large consumers of electricity.

While significant, the increase in electricity demand from grassroot development is a drop in the bucket when compared with the amount of demand from plant expansions under development. The Metals & Minerals Industry will make up more than 40% of the total U.S. industrial electric demand growth expected by 2030, says Shane Mullins, Senior Vice President for Industrial Info Resources.

Data Demand Drives Energy Demand

The ever-growing list of energy-intensive industrial projects across the U.S. is expected to spur a massive surge in power demand, with data centers expected to be the main consumers of electricity. According to Industrial Info Resources data, more than 4,200 data center projects represent $4.3 trillion of active and proposed investment in the U.S.; not all of that will come to fruition, but analysts have projected that electricity demand from data centers will grow from 35 GW in 2024 to 90 GW by 2030.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking 107 new plants under construction across the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry and offers a full list of detailed profiles for these facilities.

According to Industrial Info Resources data, more than $32 billion of investment is attributed to projects under construction at these plants. Of the 107 plants listed, the 11 with the highest expected power consumption would account for 744 megawatts (MW) and nearly $20 billion of the investment total.

The largest of these, in terms of power consumption, is Nucor Corporation's sheet mill in Apple Grove, West Virginia, which is set to finish construction toward the end of this year. The mill will use close to 170 MW to produce 3 million tons per year, including cold-rolled and hot-rolled coil, and galvanized and pickled steel sheets.

At the AISTech 2026 conference in May, Jack Sullivan, the chief financial officer of Nucor, said his company expected to see 5% to 10% growth in steel demand over the coming 12 months, with data centers accounting for 10% of the company's order backlog. Industrial Info Resources offers more information on the Apple Grove mill in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant and Project databases, where readers can find details--including construction schedules, investment values and necessary equipment--in a plant profile and project report; for more information on the AISTech 2026 conference, readers can consult Industrial Info's May 11, 2026, article - AISTech 2026: U.S. Steel Industry Healthy Riding $50 Billion Capital Spending Wave.

Other steel-manufacturing projects set to consume heavy amounts of energy include ArcelorMittal USA's non-grain-oriented electrical steel (NOES) mill in Calvert, Alabama, which will use 40 MW to produce 150,000 tons per year of NOES, a common element in generators, transformers and vehicle motors; and Pacific Steel Group's steel rebar mill in Mojave, California, which is designed to produce 380,000 tons per year and include a scrap metal-recycling plant.

Both projects are slated for completion in the summer of 2027. Readers can learn more about these developments from detailed reports on the Calvert and Mojave projects.

By the Numbers

• 107: New or existing plants in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry with projects under construction
• More than 1.2 GW: Total electricity demand expected from these facilities after their projects become operational
• More than $32 billion: Total investment in these projects under construction

EV Projects Also Steering Demand

Growing demand for EV batteries and a secure supply of battery materials is playing out in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry. LG Chemical Limited is nearing completion on a battery cathode-manufacturing plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, which has been under construction for nearly three years; it is expected to produce 60,000 tons per year of advanced NCMA (nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum) cathode materials to electric vehicle (EV) producers throughout the region.

Similarly, Birla Carbon USA Incorporated, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group, is performing site preparation for a battery materials plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina, which will produce 25,000 tons per year of synthetic graphite for the lithium-ion battery anodes used in EVs. Each of these projects is expected to consume 40 MW. Readers can learn more from detailed reports on the Clarksville and Orangeburg projects.

Other EV-driven projects aim to create more sustainable materials for vehicles... even as their production plants consume massive amounts of energy. Novelis Incorporated, another Aditya Birla subsidiary, expects to finish construction in the first quarter of 2027 on its aluminum rolling mill in Bay Minette, Alabama. The facility will consume 57 MW to recycle 1.3 billion pounds per year of aluminum--mostly from beverage cans--into lower-carbon material for the auto industry. Readers can consult a project report.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of profiles for the U.S.-based plants that are expected to see the highest expected power consumption from projects under construction, as well as a full list of detailed reports for the specific projects.

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry is consuming plenty of energy to produce materials for data centers and chip-manufacturing plants.
• The 11 plants with the highest expected power consumption would account for 744 MW and nearly $20 billion of investment.
• The U.S. automotive market remains a top customer for the heavy energy-consuming facilities in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry.

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About Industrial Info Resources
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 verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).