U.S. corporation Nucor has officially opened its Lexington valve microplant in Lexington, North Carolina, bringing into operation 430,000 tons of annual valve production capacity to serve construction and infrastructure projects on the US east coast, according to media reports.
The plant, which Nucor first announced in April 2022 with an initial budget of $350 million, ultimately cost approximately 440 million dollars. This is the company's third valve microplant, joining existing plants in Missouri and Florida, and employs approximately 200 people full-time. The Lexington plant produces rebar from nearly 100 percent recycled scrap, using in part feedstock from Nucor's existing recycling facilities in North Carolina.
Nucor has identified Lexington as the base for one of the fastest-growing regions in the country for infrastructure-related steel demand, as it is located along the corridor between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Confirming its investment, Nucor is also establishing a rebar manufacturing facility about 25 miles from the plant, SteelOrbis previously reported.
