“Alabama and the steel industry go hand in hand, and I am proud to see continued growth through AM/NS Calvert’s US$775 million expansion,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in a statement. “Shovels have officially hit the dirt, and I look forward to the advancements this project will bring.”

The facility is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corp., which greenlighted the meltshop project late last year.

With an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons, the project will secure a source of in-house slabs for the facility. Construction is expected to take 24 months.

AM/NS executives marked the start of work during a small gathering with company leaders at the beginning of this month. 

“While the team at AM/NS Calvert would prefer to be thanking each of our supporters who were critical to the approval of this project in person, we look forward to celebrating this achievement when the new facility comes online in H1 2023,” said AM/NS Calvert chief executive Jorge Oliveria.