JSW accepts funding for Ohio rail project

The JSW Steel USA business unit of India-based conglomerate JSW Group has received $1 million in state grants to improve the rail infrastructure serving its scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio.

The grants from the Ohio Rail Development Commission will help defray the costs of a $5.1 million rail project investment near the mill site in eastern Ohio near the West Virginia border.

“Rail transportation is one of the many aspects that are integral to everyday business operations and is vital to the steel industry,” says Jonathan Shank, chief operating officer of JWS Steel USA Mingo Junction.

“We look forward to our partnership with the Ohio Rail Development Commission, which gives us confidence to continue to invest in Ohio Valley. Investing in our infrastructure will facilitate successful completion of our growth projects.”

Railroads involved in the JSW project are Norfolk Southern and Wheeling & Lake Erie. When the project is finished, the mill will be able to stage some 350 railcars accepting inbound scrap or scrap alternatives and shipping outbound steel versus its current capacity of about 185.

More than 3,300 feet of track also is being added, as well as new switching equipment. The new rail  infrastructure will allow it to support the production of 125,000 tons of steel slabs monthly.

JSW Steel USA announced this May it planned to invest $145 million in new projects to upgrade its steelmaking operations in Mingo Junction, likely including the rail project spending.

The company at the time said it aimed to meet the demand for quality steel products that are melted and manufactured in the U.S. in alignment with the Biden administration’s Buy America policies.

“These new investments reiterate JSW’s commitment to a sustainable and green future,” Parth Jindal, director of JSW Steel USA, said in May.

“The operational upgrades being made at JSW Steel USA are a progressive step toward achieving our long-term environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. These investments and projects will help us in producing high-quality ‘melted and manufactured in USA’ steel products required by our customers in the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.”