Nucor Pursuing LEED v4 at Brandenburg
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Sep 20, 2022
Nucor Corp. will pursue LEED v4 certification for its new plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. The $1.7 billion mill is expected to begin production at the end of 2022 and will ultimately produce 1.2 million tons of steel annually.
If certified, the facility would become the first steel mill to achieve LEED v4, which is more stringent than previous LEED rating systems, aligning each credit category with sustainable performance and climate change. It would also revolutionize the manufacturing landscape through third-party transparency and reporting requirements, Nucor claims.
"Sustainability has been at the core of Nucor's business model since we first started making steel in the 1960s. Our recycling production method makes us one of the cleanest steelmakers in the world. LEED certification extends our sustainability efforts to the materials and operating system choices we make in constructing this new steel mill," said Leon Topalian, chairman, president and CEO of the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker.
The specific LEED features of Nucor Steel Brandenburg include preservation of a large portion of forested area on the property, lighting reduction strategies, reduced parking footprint, support for green vehicles, and water and energy efficiency measures. In addition, more than 75 percent of the construction waste generated building the steel mill has been diverted from landfills. Sustainable building materials, many directly produced by Nucor divisions, have also been used in the construction of the mill.
"Our Nucor Steel Brandenburg team is proud to be the first Nucor mill to undertake LEED v4 certification. We make our products in a sustainable way and these products, such as steel for offshore wind towers, are going to help build the green economy. It is only natural that we would construct this mill using sustainable materials and practices," said Johnny Jacobs,vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Brandenburg.