The steel group ArcelorMittal is planning to build a plant in Alabama for non-grain-oriented electrical steel - the core material for electric motors in electric vehicles and wind turbines.
ArcelorMittal announced that it is proceeding with plans to build an advanced, non-grain-oriented electrical steel (NOES) manufacturing facility in Alabama. The new facility, wholly owned by ArcelorMittal, will be capable of producing up to 150,000 metric tons of NOES annually, depending on the product mix, in support of automotive and mobility, renewable electricity production, and other industrial and commercial uses of NOES, including electric motors, generators and specialized applications.
“We recognize the importance of creating a resilient, sustainable domestic supply chain for this critical material,” said John Brett, CEO, ArcelorMittal North America. According to ArcelorMittal, the project promotes U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and addresses a crucial market need by reducing U.S. dependency on electrical steel imports through the expansion of domestic NOES production. Construction is set to begin in the second half of 2025, with production anticipated to commence in 2027. The project is expected to create up to 1,300 jobs during the construction phase and more than 200 permanent positions to support the plant’s ongoing operations.
NOES has been identified as a critical material for producing electric motors used in battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and a broad range of energy technologies and applications. The production of NOES requires specialized technical expertise, advanced manufacturing capabilities and rigorous quality control to meet stringent specifications for magnetic and mechanical performance.
Plans for the new ArcelorMittal Calvert plant include an annealing pickling line, cold-rolling mill, annealing coating line, packaging and slitter line, and additional ancillary equipment needed for specialized electrical steel manufacturing operations. The facility will be located near ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel's joint venture, AM/NS Calvert, a state-of-the-art steel plant that includes a river terminal, hot strip mill, cold rolling mill, hot dip galvanizing lines, rail yard, supporting infrastructure, and a new electric arc furnace (EAF) that is nearing completion. ArcelorMittal Calvert is a wholly owned subsidiary of ArcelorMittal.
Source: ArcelorMittal
