Nikkei: Nippon Steel to Invest About $3 Billion Upgrading Hot Rolling Equipment at Pennsylvania's Mon Valley Works; New Equipment Online in Second Half of 2029
According to a Nikkei report on Thursday, Nippon Steel plans to invest about $3 billion in U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works in Pennsylvania to upgrade its hot rolling equipment. Reuters, citing the report, said Nippon Steel had not responded to a request for comment.
The investment is part of Nippon Steel's commitment, made after acquiring U.S. Steel in 2025, to invest $11 billion in the company by 2028. The Mon Valley plant's hot rolling equipment has reportedly been in operation for about 90 years — it reheats slabs cast from blast furnace iron and rolls them into thinner steel; the new equipment, expected to come online in the second half of 2029, will be able to produce higher-quality steel.
Nippon Steel raised its fiscal 2026 earnings forecast in August on stronger earnings from its U.S. Steel business and a firmer steel market. Mon Valley Works, south of Pittsburgh, is U.S. Steel's core production base in Pennsylvania, and the upgrade is seen as a key step in Nippon Steel honoring its U.S. investment pledge and consolidating its position in the American high-end steel market. However, the report did not disclose specific equipment suppliers or a construction timetable, and details await official confirmation from Nippon Steel.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 宾夕法尼亚州 Edgar Thomson 钢铁厂 / Edgar Thomson Steel Works, Pennsylvania — Myrichiehaynes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
