On July 19, 2022, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release titled "Steel Dynamics Announces Investment in New State-of-the-Art Low-Carbon Aluminum Flat Rolled Mill, Aligned with Its Core Steelmaking and Recycling Platforms." A copy of that press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
The information contained in Exhibit 99.1 is furnished under this Item 7.01 and shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or incorporated by reference in any filing thereunder or under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as may be expressly set forth by specific reference in any such filing.
The Company's Board of Directors has authorized the Company to construct and operate a 650,000-tonne low-carbon, recycled aluminum flat rolled mill, with two supporting satellite recycled aluminum slab centers. The capital investment is estimated to be $2.2 billion for the three facilities, and commercial production is planned to begin in the first quarter 2025. The project will be funded with available cash and cash flow from operations.
The planned $1.9 billion aluminum flat rolled mill will be located in the Southeastern United States, with an annual production capacity of 650,000 tonnes of finished products, serving the sustainable beverage packaging, automotive, and common alloy industrial sectors. The product offering will be supported by various value-added finishing lines, including CASH (continuous annealing solution heat treating) lines, continuous coating, and various slitting and packaging operations. The rolling mill is currently expected to begin operations in the first quarter 2025. The company's focus on decarbonization will also be applied to this aluminum operation, including plans to use a significant amount of pre- and post-consumer aluminum scrap in its production process, supported by the Company's metals recycling platform, which is the largest nonferrous metals recycler in North America. The company will own over 94 percent of the rolling mill facility through a joint venture arrangement with Unity Aluminum, Inc., whose employees provide significant aluminum industry operating expertise to the project, complementing the company's own proven extensive construction and operating talent.
At full capacity, the aluminum rolling mill will require approximately 900,000 tonnes of annual aluminum slab supply. The rolling mill is expected to have the capacity to supply approximately 50 percent of its recycled aluminum slab requirements onsite, with the remaining amount to be provided by the construction and operation of two additional satellite recycled aluminum slab centers, one to be located in the Southwestern United States and the other in Northcentral Mexico. The satellite slab centers will benefit from abundant regional aluminum scrap supply and cost-effective operations. The two facilities are expected to cost approximately $350 million in aggregate, with the Mexico facility expected to begin operations in 2024 and the U.S. facility by the end of 2025. The company will own 100 percent of the satellite facilities.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
The following exhibit is furnished with this report:
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