First New California Steel Mill in Over 50 Years Lands in Kern County, Promising 700 Jobs and Zero-Carbon Steel
SACRAMENTO — The Office of Governor Gavin Newsom on October 19 spotlighted Pacific Steel Group's Mojave Micro Mill in Kern County, the first new steel mill built in California in more than 50 years. Backed by the Governor's California Jobs First program, the mill will use electric manufacturing technology and renewable energy, creating about 700 new jobs and producing zero-carbon steel.
'We're bringing good-paying jobs and one of the nation's biggest new steel mills to Kern County — more opportunity, cleaner industry, and growth that works for the people who live here,' Governor Newsom said. 'The Mojave Micro Mill shows how California can expand steel manufacturing, cut emissions, improve public health, and grow regional economies at the same time.'
According to the Governor's Office, the mill is slated to open next year. The site will house a 500,000-square-foot main building and a 63-acre solar farm. The mill will melt locally sourced scrap in an electric arc furnace powered by on-site solar and battery storage, producing about 380,000 tons of seismic-grade rebar per year with zero process emissions — the first solar-powered steel mill in the United States. New jobs will include computer system engineers, millwrights, welders, electricians, and automation and robotics specialists.
State support for the project includes a $30 million tax credit from the California Competes program, awarded in 2024; in exchange, Pacific Steel committed to more than $540 million in capital investments and nearly 450 new jobs in the mill's first five years of operation. The California Energy Commission approved up to $14 million for a 32-megawatt-hour long-duration battery to store the mill's solar power, and the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority approved a sales and use tax exclusion worth up to $10 million on the mill's manufacturing equipment.
Pacific Steel is also collaborating with California State University, Bakersfield, the Kern Community College District, and Antelope Valley Community College to establish employment pathways, including a certificate program to prepare students for steel manufacturing careers. The Governor's Office said the California Jobs First program has supported hundreds of early-stage projects across the state's 13 regions, with statewide investments totaling nearly $1.6 billion in 2025.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 州长纽森就加州钢铁业复兴发表讲话。图片来源：加州州长办公室（gov.ca.gov），2026年10月19日随新闻稿发布。
