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As of mid-June, you still couldn’t see much of the massive solar farm that is under construction on Pueblo’s southern fringe from Interstate 25 or other roads.

The solar panels spread across 1,500 acres will produce up to 240 megawatts to power a new rail mill operated by Evraz, the Russian-based steel manufacturer. Groundbreaking occurred in 2020, and completion is expected by the end of this year.

The $500 million long-rail mill will be able to make 4-mile long sections of rail. Construction began a few weeks ago; completion is expected in late 2022 or early 2023.

At a ground-breaking covered by the Pueblo Chieftain, Skip Herald, chief executive of Evraz’s North American division, said the mill will be the “most green steel facility in North American and maybe the world.”

This is from Big Pivots 42. To receive a subscription, see upper right box.

The steel mill had been in the works for 10 years, but construction of the plant at Pueblo was by no means a foregone conclusion. Other states competed. State and local incentives were at least a strong consideration in keeping the new mill in Pueblo.

Herald called Pueblo the “steel city of the future and for the future.” The mill will employ about 300 people.

The continuous rail requires 80% fewer welds, “which is a meaningful improvement to safety and reliability,” said Lance Fritz, the chief executive of Union Pacific Railroad, who also spoke at the ceremony.

“In 1882, we took the first stick of rail out of the mill here and we took the last stick of rail out of the old mill before it was torn down, and we are going to take the first stick out of this new mill,” Fritz said.

Allen Best
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