Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel receives air permit for steel mill

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality approved the final air permit for the Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel mill in the Modeste area of Ascension Parish.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony held Sept. 4 at the 1,700-acre site, the facility is expected to anchor the 17,000-acre RiverPlex MegaPark, an industrial zone along the west bank of the Mississippi River, north of Donaldsonville.

Multiple organizations, including the Sierra Club, have objected to project, citing environmental, community and labor impacts throughout the last several months.

'Hyundai Steel says it wants to be a 'catalyst for the future steel industry and hydrogen ecosystem' but its air permit tells a different story,' Matthew Miles Goodrich, director of the Sierra Club's Industrial Transformation Campaign said in a news release regarding the permit. 'The company made some improvements to its facility in response to public pressure, but it needs to do more to reduce dangerous pollution through electrification and make a firm commitment to green hydrogen.'

Through both public hearings and news releases, members of the groups have expressed concerns over pollution and incentives offered to the company.

Last month, the Louisiana State Bond Commission approved up to $1.3 billion in tax-free financing in connection with the project.

President Donald Trump announced the plans for the steel mill with state and local officials at the White House in March 2025.

Since then, political and business figures have touted the project for its more than 1,300 direct new jobs and thousands of indirect jobs expected for the Baton Rouge region.

The company has estimated the beginning of operation for the facility will be the first quarter of 2029, as construction has been planned to continue through the end of 2028.

HPLS opened job recruitment with nearly 40 positions, as the company expects to hire up to 300 employees by the end of 2027.

The company has reported plans of hiring the next several hundred employees ahead of the mill's opening in 2029.

Additionally, construction has been ongoing since February for a new River Parishes Community College workforce training center along Hwy. 945 in Donaldsonville.

The center is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2028.

Once the mill opens, it will produce 2.7 million metric tons of steel annually, according to the company.

Courtesy: www.weeklycitizen.com