CMC Gains Permit
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has recently issued Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), located in Irving, Texas, a permit allowing the construction of its fourth electric arc furnace (EAF) micro mill to begin shortly.
At the end of last year, CMC revealed that Berkeley County, West Virginia had been chosen to be the home for the new scrap-fed steel rebar plant.
The company has allocated an estimated budget of $450 million for the new facility titled “MM4.” Additionally, the new mill will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons annually and is set to employ around 230 people.
“MM4 will be capable of producing various sizes of both straight length and spooled rebar,” CMC notes. “Based on anticipated timelines for permitting and construction, the new plant is scheduled to begin operations in late calendar 2025.”
“We are pleased to enter the next phase of this exciting investment, and to establish CMC’s manufacturing presence in West Virginia,” Barbara Smith, CMC’s President and CEO stated. “The state offers several attractive advantages for MM4, including a welcoming business climate and a skilled available labor force. The planned site, located in the eastern panhandle of the state near Martinsburg, is well situated to serve key metropolitan markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, as well as the Midwest.”
She adds, “MM4 is a core component of CMC’s strategic growth plan and will help ensure our long-term competitiveness in critical geographical markets. We believe this new micromill, among the most environmentally friendly steelmaking operations in the world, will strengthen our operational network throughout the Eastern U.S. by achieving synergies with our existing mill and downstream facilities.”
West Virginia Becomes a Growing Steelmaking Hub
Mason County, West Virginia experienced a booming year in 2022 when Nucor Corp. declared its plans to build an electric arc furnace mill, marking it as a growing destination for steelmaking.
“Receiving this permit is an important milestone in our Steel West Virginia micro mill project,” Smith explained. “With the permit in hand, and land purchase completed, we can now begin construction to achieve our targeted commissioning date in calendar 2025.”
Earlier this month, the news of Smith’s pending retirement was made public. In 2011, Smith joined CMC as a senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer, then in 2017, she was promoted to the role of CEO. Her tenure at CMC has been marked by notable success, such as a significant expansion of the firm’s micromill steelmaking capacity.
Additional Micromills for CMC
Building upon its existing West Virginia facility, CMC made an announcement in 2020 that the company would be constructing a second micromill next to its initial site located in Mesa, Arizona. It was just two years prior when ground broke on a micromill situated within Durant, Oklahoma.
“We are extremely proud to be formally dedicating our second state-of-the-art steel micromill in Durant, Oklahoma,” Smith asserted. “We look forward to providing our customers with high-quality product combined with CMC’s outstanding service. A project of this magnitude could not be accomplished without the support of so many and we thank all our partners who helped us during the construction and commissioning of the mill. We also thank [Oklahoma] Gov. Fallin, as well as all the state and local officials who were instrumental in the process.”
Not only does CMC produce recycled-content steel at its ten EAF mills, the organization also runs a variety of other operations. These include numerous metal recycling centers, one rerolling mill, steel fabrication and processing plants, ground stabilization products and warehouses providing construction goods in the US. Additionally, CMC operates a steel mill located in Poland.
