ALIQUIPPA ― Plans to build a $218 million steel fabrication plant on J&L Steel’s former tin mill site cleared another hurdle in August with New York-based 72 Steel’s land acquisition.
Beaver County property records show 72 Steel LLC, founded in 2016 by Chinese-American entrepreneurs, purchased 44 acres of the historic Aliquippa Works site this summer for nearly $4.4 million from Beaver County developer Chuck Betters.
Company leadership in May held an elaborate groundbreaking ceremony at the Aliquippa Industrial Park, pledging to develop the land and celebrating with a host of area business leaders and politicians.
Betters at the time said the two parties were still working on a deal, calling 72 Steel owners “very honorable people.”
The operation is slated to include an electric-arc furnace – a steelmaking technology with lower carbon intensity than traditional methods – to melt scrap steel and produce 500,000 tons of rebar, or reinforcement steel, annually. Its production capacity and output value are expected to reach $400 million.
More: Company to build $218 million steel plant on former J&L land in Aliquippa
After permitting, construction could begin as early as next year. The plant's anticipated completion is 2025. It will be 72 Steel's first manufacturing site.
Once complete, the company expects to hire 300 to 400 permanent employees.
Xiaoyan Zhang, senior business adviser at 72 Steel, said in May the company’s $218 million investment would likely be “an initial investment.” He said the decision to build was prompted by the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that included $110 billion in new funds for roads, bridges and other major projects.
The company toured sites in West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina before settling on Beaver County due to its river and rail access, he said.
J&L Steel’s mill at 611 Woodlawn Road opened in 1910 and expanded in 1947 for tin plate production. It operated until the 1980s when Aliquippa Works, by that time owned by LTV Corp., closed amid the region’s steel collapse.
72 Steel representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Company buys former J&L land in Aliquippa to build new steel plant