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US Steel Plans $1.9B Facility to Feed Its Arkansas Works
Project Is Expected to Create 200 Jobs
United States Steel Corp. will spend $1.9 billion to build a feedstock plant at its works in Arkansas, the latest in a string of investment pledges since the company was acquired by Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp.
The facility at the Big River Steel Works in Osceola will supply an intermediate product known as direct reduced iron, or DRI, to the site’s existing electric arc furnaces, the company said in a statement.
DRI is a purer alternative to scrap steel, and is made from mined iron ore.
The spending underscores Nippon Steel’s push modernize U.S. Steel’s assets since completing a roughly $14 billion takeover of the iconic American company in 2025.
That deal overcame political opposition after the Japanese company agreed to substantial U.S. investments and other conditions.
Today, U. S. Steel announced plans to build a new direct reduced iron (DRI) facility at our Big River Steel Works site. This investment represents another step forward in strengthening our next-generation steelmaking capabilities.
By advancing our vertical integration from our… pic.twitter.com/MNpnDYLnak — U. S. Steel (@U_S_Steel) April 29, 2026
The new facility will draw on iron ore pellets from U.S. Steel’s mines in Minnesota, and will enhance efficiency by being directly integrated into the Big River operation, removing any need to ship DRI to the plant in future, according to the statement.
The project is expected to create about 200 permanent jobs and as many as 2,000 construction roles at peak, according to U.S. Steel.
