Middletown Works Investments Showcase How Biden-Harris Industrial Policy is Promoting Innovation in Manufacturing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Cleveland Cliffs funding from their Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP) to get the first phase of a low-carbon steel project underway in Middletown, Ohio. The company plans to install a hydrogen-ready flex-fuel Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant and two electric melting furnaces at the facility. The hydrogen DRI process being used in the Middletown plant is a game-changing technology that promises dramatic reductions in the carbon intensity of primary steel and a boost to the competitiveness of US steelmaking.
This announcement comes on the heels of news that several other facilities received funding for their first phase. The awarded projects include:
- Construction and operation of a carbon capture system at the Heidelberg Materials US cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana;
- A low-carbon SmartMelt Furnace conversion at a Constellium plant in Ravenswood, West Virginia; and
- A project to electrify the only production facility for high-silicon grain oriented electrical steel (GOES) in the United States at the Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works facility in Butler, Pennsylvania.
All project developers were required to include a robust community benefits plan in their applications for IDP funds. Community benefits plans allow applicants to plan for and address the needs of workers and communities, to create transparency around project development, and to ensure projects are in step with local priorities.
Following the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released a statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:
“The historic investment made in our manufacturing sector by the Biden-Harris administration has set the stage for a new era of manufacturing in our country—securing existing union jobs, creating new jobs, and reducing the emissions that drive climate change. For example, the Middletown DRI project provides a pathway for creating low-carbon steel at new and existing facilities, which increases U.S. competitiveness on the global iron and steel market and maintains the good-paying, safe jobs synonymous with domestic manufacturing. We’re excited for the first phase of these projects to begin and look forward to seeing their innovations spread to other facilities across the country.”