Big River Steel Launches New EV-Focused Production Line in Osceola

U.S. Steel executives join state and local officials in Osceola, Arkansas, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Big River Steel's new electrical steel line on Oct. 12, 2023 (Photo provided by U.S. Steel)

U.S. Steel on Thursday officially launched a new, non-grain oriented electrical steel line at its Big River Steel mill in Osceola that will position the company as a key supplier in the electric vehicle market.

The main product that will be produced on the line is InduX, a very wide, ultra-thin and lightweight steel with all the magnetic properties necessary for electric vehicles, the company said in a news release. No electric vehicle, motor, or generator today is operational without the steel grades needed to transform electrical power into usable energy.

According to the release, the line is the final step in a steelmaking process that utilizes up to 90% scrap steel as raw material and reduces carbon emissions up to 70%-80% compared to traditional integrated steelmaking.

The new line is 2,333 feet long, or about the length of eight football fields, and its 200,000-ton annual capacity is said to be the highest in the country.

David Burritt, CEO of U.S. Steel, said the new line represents an ongoing “American manufacturing renaissance.”

“This investment will enable us to serve our customers as they address growing markets, like electric vehicles, with the knowledge that the steel they are receiving is not only sustainable, but also mined, melted and made in America,” he said.

A newly-released economic impact study found that Big River Steel and other U.S. Steel operations in Arkansas had a $383.2 million economic impact in 2022. That includes $16.3 million in state and local taxes and 1,747 jobs.

That impact is projected to grow significantly with the addition of Big River Steel’s new line and a new $3 billion mill that’s under construction in Osceola.