South Carolina’s Georgetown steelworks restarts

Liberty Steel Georgetown marks GFG Alliance’s entrance into the U.S.

The historic Georgetown steelworks in South Carolina, which has been idle for almost three years, restarted today, June 25, marking the arrival of Sanjeev Gupta’s global GFG Alliance in the United States. Liberty Steel, which is owned by GFG Alliance, purchased the mill at the end of 2017.

GFG Alliance is the metals, mining, engineering, energy and financial services group that has invested billions in industrial assets in the U.K., Europe and Australia, saying it intends to do the same in North America.

A ceremony to reignite the first of Liberty Steel’s furnaces in the Georgetown took place before an audience of elected representatives, local dignitaries, customers, union officials, group executives from and the local workforce. It marked a key milestone for Liberty Steel in the U.S., and the first step toward restoring full production to the 750,000-metric-ton-per-year plant.

Group Executive Chairman Sanjeev Gupta said the recommissioning of Georgetown’s furnaces and wire rod mills would be the first in a series of GFG projects across the U.S. and Canada, amounting to more than $5 billion in investments throughout the next few years. Of this, $1 billion is expected to be invested during the coming year to acquire and develop steel, aluminum, engineering, mining, energy generation and financial services assets, he said. The group also is establishing a New York regional head office as a hub for its global business.

The restart puts 125 steelworkers back to work immediately, many of whom are former employees returning to the plant. This figure will rise in the medium term to 320 direct jobs as orders and output rise for the site’s range of wire rod products used in the automotive and construction sectors, according to GFG Alliance. Hundreds more jobs are expected to be created and sustained in the supply chain, the community and wider economy, the company adds.


Gupta praised those whose hard work helped to bring the production equipment back online following the plant’s acquisition by Liberty Steel in December 2017. He thanked those who supported the restart of the site, including Georgetown Council, the South Carolina state government, the United Steelworkers and many other local and industry stakeholders.

“This is a historic moment in the story of Liberty Steel and GFG,” he said. “It marks our first step into the American market and is as much a milestone for us in the USA as the restart of Liberty Steel Newport after a similar shutdown period was in the U.K. That triggered a cascade of major acquisitions, investments and turnaround successes for GFG in the U.K. I very much hope and expect that a similar journey has started today for our family in the USA.

“This first investment is our vote of confidence in the future of metals and heavy industrial sector in the USA,” he continued. “GFG’s economic model globally has long-term sustainability at its core, based on the development of local resources, including educational and local community development, and the production of quality products for the domestic market. We bring a new meaning to the phrase ‘think globally act locally.’ Using this model, we see huge opportunities to create competitive, robust and integrated industrial businesses across USA. Restarting such a historic plant as Georgetown gives us a firm entry into the U.S. market.”

Gupta said Liberty Steel is committed to low-carbon production methods that include recycling scrap metal and, where possible, using renewable energy to power the Group’s furnaces and mills. This model, known as GREENSTEEL, involves the integration of energy, metal-making and downstream manufacturing to add as much value as possible within the business, according to GFG Alliance.

“We will aim to capture as much value as we can, creating and sustaining high-quality jobs for American workers and providing a bright future for communities such as Georgetown, which has shown us great support and enthusiasm since we arrived,” he added.

Gupta will take his message of optimism for American industry to the podium of the Steel Success Strategies conference in New York, where he will be making the keynote speech the morning of June 26.

The previous weekend, he held an inauguration event for a scrap collection and processing business Liberty Recycling has acquired in Tampa, Florida. The company also is discussing the acquisition of other U.S. assets.

Liberty has appointed Revansidha ‘Rohit’ Gulve, formerly general manager of Gerdau Steel, Beaumont, Texas, as the new general manager of Georgetown mill. Gulve said there had been a very positive response from the market to the reopening and, once the initial phase of re-establishing production was complete, he was confident sales would climb quickly.

South Carolina Sen. Stephen Goldfinch said, "As the senator from Georgetown, I believe it’s my responsibility to ensure businesses have the environment they need to succeed within this district and beyond. My promise to Liberty and their employees is that I will do everything in my power to ensure their success."

Georgetown Mayor Brendon Barber Sr. said, "This will improve the quality of life for our families and impact the quality of education, economic development and jobs in our area. It will revive our economy and let folks know around the nation that Georgetown is open for business.”

James Sanderson, president of the United Steelworkers Local 7898, added, “We’re very confident that being part of the Liberty family will make Georgetown sustainable and successful. Our USW Local 7898 members are proud to return to what they sincerely enjoy doing; making great quality steel. Let’s start tapping heats and rolling quality steel.”

The sentiment was shared by Beth Stedman, president and CEO Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, who said, “We welcome Liberty Steel to Georgetown and congratulate them on their opening. We are confident their success will create additional jobs, economic opportunity and growth for our area. We look forward to engaging with them as community partners and to watching them thrive for years to come.”

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