Big River Steel LLC signed an optional lease agreement with the Port of Brownsville that could lead to the development of a $1.6 billion steel mill near the Texas-Mexico border. The pact enables the steelmaker to pursue the development of a LEED-certified steel manufacturing plant, storage and distribution facility at the 800-acre site. A green light on the facility would mean 1,500 construction jobs and 500 full-time positions at the sites.
Chairman John Wood of the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners (BND) recognized rail company OmniTRAX as “playing an important role in introducing this opportunity to the port.” Wood added that he anticipates the steel plant could be operational within four years.
BND Commissioner Ralph Cowen added that the LEED-certified plant is in line with environmental friendly standards desired at the port. Cowen added, “They are making a higher quality steel, a lightweight strong steel for the automotive business and many of those plants are near us in Mexico. A steel plant will also benefit from our import and export scrap logistics.”
OmniTRAX Inc. owns the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway LLC, which operates within the BND and serves the port.