The Nucor steel plant in Ohio remains one of the largest planned industrial manufacturing developments in the United States as pre-construction activities continue. Located in Apple Grove, Mason County, along the Ohio River, the project is progressing through engineering, site preparation and permitting ahead of full-scale construction. Once completed, the advanced sheet steel mill will strengthen domestic steel production while supplying the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors with low-carbon steel products.
Nucor Steel Plant Current status (2026)
As of 2026, Nucor continues to advance development of the Apple Grove steel mill following its final investment decision announced in early 2025. Engineering work, environmental compliance, procurement planning and infrastructure development are progressing before major construction begins. The company continues working with state and local authorities on utility connections, transportation improvements and workforce development programs to support the multi-year project.
The facility remains on schedule for phased construction, with commercial production targeted later this decade. Once operational, the mill will have an annual production capacity of approximately three million tons of sheet steel and is expected to become one of the most advanced steel manufacturing facilities in North America.
The investment also continues to attract suppliers and complementary industrial developments across the Ohio River Valley, reinforcing the region’s position as an emerging advanced manufacturing hub.
Ohio continues to strengthen its position as a leading destination for advanced manufacturing through large-scale industrial investments across multiple sectors. While the Nucor steel plant in Ohio will reinforce domestic steel production for the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing industries, the recently announced $850 million New Springfield Aircraft Startup project will expand the state’s aerospace manufacturing capacity and support next-generation aviation technologies. Together, the developments demonstrate the region’s growing appeal for transformative manufacturing investments that strengthen supply chains, create skilled jobs and drive long-term economic growth.
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Scope of the Nucor Steel Plant Project
The Nucor Steel Plant will be a 3mn short tons/yr electric arc furnace (EAF) flat-rolled steel mill, which will be aimed at producing hot-rolled sheet products by utilizing features such as downstream processing; a tandem cold mill, with annealing capabilities; and initially two galvanizing lines. The proposed plant upon completion will increase the width of the sheet steel to 84 inches for the hot-roll sheet, while the cold-roll sheet would increase to 76 inches. According to Rex Query, the president of sheet and tubular products at Nucor, this will be a good move for the automotive industry where the demand is high.
The Nucor Steel Plant will also be designed to produce some of the cleanest sheets of steel and net-zero steels for the automotive industry, by using low-carbon production techniques. The final product will be made up of 1.1mn st/yr of galvanized steel, 800,000 st/yr of cold-rolled coil, 750,000 st/yr of hot-rolled coil, and 350,000 st/yr of oiled and pickled steel sheet.
David Joseph of the Nucor Corp. recycling department has been working on minimizing the copper composition in shredded scrap to produce higher quality steel. This could be included in the project.
Leon Topalian, the Nucor chief executive also pointed out that the company aims to increase its steel sales in the automotive industry from the current 1.5 million tons to 3 million tons annually, which is the reason they chose to build their Nucor Steel Plant in the heart of the two largest sheet-consuming markets in the United States.
Project fact sheet
Name: Nucor Steel Plant Project
Value: $2.7 billion
Location: Apple Grove, Mason County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River
Project type: Greenfield sheet steel manufacturing facility
Developer: Nucor Corporation
Facility size: Approximately 1,000 acres
Production capacity: Around 3 million tons of sheet steel annually
Primary products: Hot-rolled, cold-rolled and galvanized sheet steel
Primary markets: Automotive, construction, heavy equipment, energy and manufacturing
Construction status: Engineering, permitting and site development progressing (2026)
Expected operation: Later this decade
Estimated employment during construction: Thousands of temporary construction jobs
Permanent jobs: Approximately 800 direct full-time positions
Economic significance: One of the largest manufacturing investments in West Virginia’s history
Strategic objective: Expand domestic steel production and reduce reliance on imported sheet steel
Sustainability features: Electric arc furnace technology using recycled steel and lower-carbon production methods
Project team
Developer and owner: Nucor Corporation
Project management: Nucor Corporation
Technology: Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking
Location partner: Mason County Development Authority
State partner: West Virginia Department of Economic Development
Infrastructure partners: State and local transportation and utility agencies
Rail infrastructure partners: Regional freight rail operators
Power utility: Appalachian Power
Natural gas supplier: Mountaineer Gas Company
Water infrastructure partners: Local and regional utility authorities
Environmental compliance: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Federal regulatory oversight: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and relevant federal agencies where applicable
Construction contractors: To be announced as procurement packages are awarded
Engineering consultants: Appointed by Nucor during detailed design and execution phases
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