U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant

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U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant, also known as Big River Steel 2, BRS, is a steel plant in Osceola, Arkansas, United States that operates electric arc furnace (EAF) and direct reduced iron (DRI) technology.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Osceola, Arkansas, United States:

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  • Location: 2027 State Hwy 198, Osceola, Arkansas 72370, United States
  • Coordinates (WGS 84): 35.644264, -89.941659 (exact)

Background

Big River Steel is a special "flex mill" that can produce flat products from an electric arc furnace (EAF) and is believed to be one of the most advanced flex mills in the country.[1] One EAF was added in 2017; a new one was added in 2020.[2] According to Big River Steel, the facility is worth $1.3 billion.[3] Big River Steel was bought by the United States Steel Corporation in January 2021.[4]

The capacity of BRS doubled to 3300 thousand tonnes per annum around June 2020 after BRS announced intentions to double production in 2018.[5][6]

In 2021, the facility was awarded by Daimler AG for "the exceptionally sustainable production of steel." According to Daimler, the facility has 70% fewer carbon emissions compared to traditional blast-furnace methods of producing steel. The facility also has a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.[7]

The $3 billion expansion, Big River 2 (BR2) the largest private project in Arkansas history, was completed ahead of schedule in late 2025. The facility is expected to reach full production capacity by early 2026, bringing the total campus capacity to 6 million tons of raw steel annually.[8]

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Plant Details

Table 1: General Plant Details

Construction date Start date Workforce size Power source Iron ore source
2014-07[9] 2016[9] 745[10] "renewable and nuclear power"[11] US Steel Mine Ore Facility[12]

Table 2: Ownership and Parent Company Information

Parent company Parent company PermID Parent GEM entity ID Owner Owner company PermID Owner GEM entity ID
Nippon Steel Corp [100.0%] 4295877313 [100.0%] E100000000652 [100.0%] Big River Steel LLC [100%][13] 5043335009 E100001010266 [100%]

Table 3: Process and Products

Steel product category Steel products Steel sector end users ISO 14001 Responsible steel Main production equipment
finished rolled[14] hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, electrical[15] energy, transport[16] 2023-08-10[17][18] 2025-04-03[19][20][21] DRI; EAF

Table 4: Plant-level Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Electric arc furnace steelmaking capacity Nominal crude steel capacity (total)
operating 6022[22][13] 6022[22][13]

Table 5: Plant-level Crude Iron Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Sponge iron/DRI capacity Nominal iron capacity (total)
announced 2500[23] 2500[23]

Table 6: Actual Plant-level Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year EAF production Other/unknown steel production Total (all routes)
2019 unknown unknown –
2020 unknown unknown –
2021 1914[24] –[24] 1914[24]
2022 2211[24] –[24] 2211[24]
2023 2343[25] –[25] 2343[25]
2024 2079[26] –[26] 2079[26]

Unit Details

Table 7: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Details

Unit name Status Announced date Furnace manufacturer and model Furnace type Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown DRI (1) announced[12] 2025-11-12[12] Midrex[23] shaft furnace[27] 2500[23]

Table 8: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Reductant Details

Unit name Current or initial reductant Gas reductant
unknown DRI (1) gas syngas (reformed methane)

Table 9: Electric Arc Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Current capacity (ttpa) Current size (tonnes)
unknown EAF (1) operating[11] 2017[28] SMS[28] 1650[13] 165.0[29]
unknown EAF (2) operating[11] 2020[28] SMS[28] 1650[13] 165.0[29]
unknown EAF (3) operating[30] 2024[30] SMS[28] 1361[22] –
unknown EAF (4) operating[30] 2024[30] SMS[28] 1361[22] –

Table 10: Electric Arc Furnace Feedstock Details

Unit name Scrap-based % scrap % DRI % HBI % sponge iron (unknown if DRI or HBI) % basic/merchant pig iron % granulated pig iron % pig iron (unknown if basic/merchant or granulated) % other iron
unknown EAF (1) yes[31] 90.00[31][32] unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown >0[33] 10.00[33]
unknown EAF (2) yes[31] 90.00[31][32] unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown >0[33] 10.00[33]
unknown EAF (3) yes[34] 90.00[31][32] unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown 10.00[31][32]
unknown EAF (4) yes[34] 90.00[31][32] unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown 10.00[31][32]

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of steel plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Iron and Steel Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. ↑ Hot-Rolled, Big River Steel, Retrieved on: Aug. 17, 2020
  2. ↑ 2021 AIST Electric Arc Furnace Roundup, Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Jan. 2021
  3. ↑ BRS (2020-01-01). "BRS Fact Sheet" (PDF). BRS. Retrieved 2021-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ "United States Steel Corporation Completes Big River Steel Acquisition". www.businesswire.com. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  5. ↑ Big River Steel Expanding Arkansas Flex Mill™ $1.2 billion investment will double capacity of technology-based steel mill and recycling facility, Big River Steel, Jun. 2018, Retrieved on: Aug. 17, 2020
  6. ↑ Overview, Big River Steel, Retrieved on: Aug. 17, 2020
  7. ↑ "Daimler honours steel supplier Big River Steel for sustainability". Daimler. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ "U.S. Steel CEO: Nippon enables $3 billion investment - Talk Business & Politics". talkbusiness.net. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240119040152/https://www.ussteel.com/bigriversteeloverview. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210506013810/https://bigriversteel.com/about/people/. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 (PDF) https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_1503cb9370b05010048001835a12e8e6/ussteel/db/3329/30001/report/2022+ESG+Report.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 https://talkbusiness.net/2025/11/new-steel-mill-slated-for-big-river-steel-works-campus/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125053824/https://www.ussteel.com/bigriversteeloverview. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240125024713/https://www.ussteel.com/about-us/locations. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220120115533/https://bigriversteel.com/products/hot-rolled/. Archived from the original on 2022-01-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220120124344/https://bigriversteel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BRS1903-Fact-Sheet-010820.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ https://www.ussteel.com/documents/40705/43704/BRS+14001.pdf/5d4864a0-fa61-56b6-91c4-f92f5d530ac0?t=1718780141866. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221224174639/https://bigriversteel.com/about/leed. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20260117010902/https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/653ed7060b01292cd4518d0e/660013583ccf390baa002c2a_2022_Big-River-Steel_ResponsibleSteel_PublicSummary.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2026-01-17. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ↑ "Issued and Ongoing Certifications". Responsible Steel. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19.
  21. ↑ https://investors.ussteel.com/news-events/news-releases/detail/696/u-s-steel-earns-worlds-first-ever-certification-for. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20231009035348/https://www.ussteel.com/next-generation-steel-mill. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/2026/06/16/midrex-to-supply-big-river-steels-dri-hbi-plant/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230311144635/https://s26.q4cdn.com/153509673/files/doc_financials/2022/ar/2022-Annual-Report.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-03-11. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 (PDF) https://investors.ussteel.com/sec-filings/all-sec-filings/content/0001163302-24-000009/0001163302-24-000009.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 (PDF) https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1163302/000110465925026421/tm255512d2_ars.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260124002848/https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/what-does-a-dri-plant-in-arkansas-mean-for-steelmaking-in-the-mon-valley/. Archived from the original on 2026-01-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 https://imis.aist.org/store/detail.aspx?id=PR-RU2024-2. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20241008160655/https://bigriversteel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/V3BRS1507-4-MillAtrib-4-MeltShop-CNPT-033015.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-10-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 https://investors.ussteel.com/news-events/news-releases/detail/705/united-states-steel-corporation-provides-fourth-quarter. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.7 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240809192844/https://bigriversteel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BRS2106-CSR-Report-Update-052421-Final.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-09. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 (PDF) https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_1503cb9370b05010048001835a12e8e6/ussteel/db/3195/30173/file/USS_ESG-Infographic.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20240809193715/https://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/us-steel-alabama-scrap-arkansas-pig-iron-dri/. Archived from the original on 2024-08-09. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20241007163147/https://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/us-steel-big-river-eaf-green-bonds-recycling-arkansas/. Archived from the original on 2024-10-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Resources

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