The decision to locate both facilities there will bring approximately US$2 billion in investment and the potential for more than 700 jobs to northeastern Mississippi. Columbus already is home to SDI’s Columbus sheet mill.

SDI earlier this year revealed its intention to enter the aluminum business and build a 650,000-metric-ton rolling mill along with two separate recycled aluminum casting plants. It also announced a new joint venture to produce biocarbon.

Steel Dynamics said locating both the rolling mill and biocarbon plant in Columbus offered a number of advantages, including synergies with the Columbus sheet mill; access to water, rail and highway transport; proximity to raw materials; and a talented, local workforce.

The rolling mill is currently expected to begin operations in mid-2025. The biocarbon plant, which is being designed with an initial capacity of more than 160,000 metric tons, is to begin operating in early 2024.

The company's official announcements are here and here.