Nucor Corporation announced today that the company's Towers & Structures business unit will build a new state-of-the-art transmission tower production plant in Decatur, Alabama. The new plant will be located adjacent to the Nucor Steel Decatur sheet steel mill and will be the first of two new tower production plants the company plans to build. The project is expected to create 200 full-time jobs.
In a press release, Nucor said the plant in Alabama will be highly automated, utilizing efficient straight-line production, and will also include advanced hot-dip galvanizing operations. The company sait these state-of-the-art features will increase Nucor Towers & Structures' capabilities to provide engineered solutions for utility infrastructure and construction projects. The company said it continues to evaluate potential sites in the US Midwest to build a second tower production plant.
Last year, Nucor formed its Nucor Towers & Structures business unit when it acquired Summit Utility Structures LLC, a producer of metal poles and other steel structures for utility infrastructure. In December, the Company announced plans to establish a nationwide footprint by building two new tower production plants for a combined investment of $270 million dollars.
Nucor said several factors are driving increased demand for utility infrastructure, including grid hardening, renewable energy projects, building a nationwide network of EV chargers, natural disasters and replacements, and population growth. The company said it expects that federal government support for electric infrastructure and clean energy projects in the recent Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act will drive additional demand as they provide nearly half a trillion dollars in funding and incentives to build out a clean energy future.