U.S. Steel’s board of directors has approved full funding for a nearly $3 billion investment in a new hot strip mill at the company’s Mon Valley Works – Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, near Pittsburgh.
The project will replace aging equipment with modern steelmaking technology, increasing the plant’s annual production capacity from roughly 2.2 million tons to about 3.5 million tons. It will also expand the range of steel products the facility can make for customers.
Construction is set to begin once the company receives necessary permits, with initial production expected in late 2029. U.S. Steel says it will continue working with regulators through the permitting process and plans to keep the community informed as work moves forward.
The Braddock investment is part of a larger $11 billion spending plan by U.S. Steel’s parent company, Nippon Steel, covering equipment upgrades and facility expansions at several U.S. sites through the end of 2028. Nippon Steel, based in Japan, acquired U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion last year.
Nippon Steel first signaled plans to upgrade or replace the Mon Valley hot strip mill operations in August 2024, committing at least $1 billion as part of the conditions tied to its pending acquisition at the time. The company more than doubled that investment figure in June, and told investors during an earnings presentation that it expected to formally approve the project no later than March 2027.
For Braddock and the broader Pittsburgh region, the upgrade is expected to support jobs at the Edgar Thomson plant and contribute to local economic activity as construction and modernization proceed over the coming years.
