EVRAZ North America breaks ground on new Pueblo steel mill expansion
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- At a ground breaking ceremony, EVRAZ North America announced a $500 million dollar expansion to the Pueblo steel mill.
The President and CEO of EVRAZ said the expansion will create the most modern rail mill in North America.
The mill will produce 300 foot rail segments that will be welded together to form quarter-mile long rails that could be shipped anywhere in the U.S. and the world.
As a part of the expansion, the steel mill will be entirely powered by solar power. This is an effort by local leaders, state leaders and EVRAZ themselves.
“Everything that goes into our steel facility is either old cars or old appliances, so we are recycling over a million tons every year," EVRAZ President and CEO Skip Herald said. "If you can combined that with solar power to power that furnace and power the facility, you have green steel and there is nowhere else in the world that can claim that."
Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar and Colorado Governor Jared Polis were both on hand for the ground breaking ceremony.
"Pueblo has a proud history, and this steel mill mirrors and reflects that history," Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said.
"This new project will create 800 jobs, good jobs in the Pueblo community. Modernizing the production of rail, reducing costs of rail, and laying the ground work for years of prosperity," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said.
The expansion to the steel mill received the most support from the EVRAZ workers at the mill. This project will allow them to contribute to a growing Pueblo economy, one that has steel production at the forefront of that effort.
The expansion is expected to be completed by 2023.
