WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Steel’s board of directors recently approved a nearly $3 billion investment in a new hot strip mill at its Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a major expansion expected to increase annual production capacity by approximately 59% and advance the company’s $11 billion investment commitment under its partnership with Japan’s Nippon Steel.
The project will increase the plant’s annual production capacity from approximately 2.2 million tons to 3.5 million tons, adding 1.3 million tons of capacity and expanding the range of steel products available to customers. Initial production is expected in late 2029.
Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators, Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman, welcomed the board’s approval, describing the investment as a significant step toward fulfilling commitments made in connection with the U.S. Steel–Nippon Steel partnership.
The new mill represents a substantial capital commitment to Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley steelmaking operations, where the industry has long been an important source of manufacturing employment.
The investment is part of a broader $11 billion commitment to U.S. Steel facilities associated with the Nippon Steel partnership. According to McCormick’s office, the agreement is expected to support more than 11,000 existing jobs in Pennsylvania while creating additional employment opportunities.
The board’s decision follows negotiations surrounding the partnership that involved the Trump administration and members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.
McCormick credited the administration and U.S. Representatives Dan Meuser and Mike Kelly with helping secure federal support for the agreement.
“This is exactly what Senator Fetterman and I fought for: real investment, good-paying jobs, and a strong future for American steelmaking in the Mon Valley,” McCormick said.
He described the mill approval as evidence that the partnership’s investment commitments are beginning to translate into specific industrial projects.
The planned capacity increase would strengthen U.S. Steel’s ability to manufacture a broader range of products at its Pennsylvania operations, with the additional output expected to become available toward the end of the decade.
The project also represents a significant component of the capital investment strategy underpinning the U.S. Steel–Nippon Steel agreement, which has drawn federal attention because of the domestic steel industry’s economic and strategic importance.
McCormick recently traveled to Tokyo and Seoul for meetings with government officials and business leaders focused on economic cooperation, security partnerships and investment opportunities in Pennsylvania.
During the trip, he promoted additional industrial investment in the Commonwealth, including opportunities connected to the U.S. Steel–Nippon Steel partnership.
The Edgar Thomson project establishes a specific production expansion within the broader investment commitment, with construction and development expected to precede the planned late-2029 start of production.
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