Nucor debuts ‘world’s most sustainable steel’ for US offshore wind industry

Nucor, the largest steel producer in the US and the biggest scrap recycler in North America, has announced that it will manufacture sustainable steel plate especially for the US offshore wind industry.

Nucor’s new sustainable heavy gauge steel plate product for the offshore wind sector is called Elcyon. The company says not only that it’s the “world’s most sustainable steel plate,” but also that it’s the only plate steel in offshore wind sizes that’s melted and manufactured in the US:

Elcyon is the world’s first steel plate for offshore wind applications made using electric arc furnace (EAF) technology, with a recycled content in excess of 90% and greenhouse gas emissions 1/5 the global blast furnace average.

Offshore wind turbine towers and monopiles and jackets for their foundations are made of steel.

Nucor will manufacture Elcyon at the company’s new $1.7 billion steel mill in Brandenburg, Kentucky, which produced its first steel plate at the end of December 2022.

Leon Topalian, chair, president, and chief executive officer of Nucor Corporation, said:

By launching Elcyon at Brandenburg we have effectively created the first domestic supply chain of sustainable steel for our nation’s offshore wind energy industry.

In November, it became the first major industrial company to join the United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact, which is aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems.

The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act included $300 billion for clean energy development, and that supports the goal to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Nucor says that could result in around 7.5 million tons of additional steel demand.

Read more: These companies will build a floating wind turbine out of aluminum

Photo: Orsted

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