The world’s largest steel plant, once the largest in the world, will now be home to the nation’s first offshore wind turbine factory. The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has announced a $47.4 billion offshore wind manufacturing hub in Baltimore County. The funds will help prepare the former Bethlehem steel shipyard and the future Sparrows Point Steel — Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind part factory — to accept large freight. The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIP) will also support site rehabilitation and environmental initiatives, according to a joint statement from six lawmakers.
In 1889, the Maryland Steel Company (later Pennsylvania Steel Company) started producing steel at Sparrow’s Point. By the mid-20th century, the waterfront mill was the world’s largest steel mill, stretching 4 miles from one end of the facility to the other and housing 30,000 workers. The mill used the old, labor-intensive open hearth technology of steelmaking to produce ingots. In 1916, the mill was purchased by Bethlehem Steel Corporation (later Bethlehem Steel), based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The mill’s steel was used to build the Golden Gate bridge’s girders, the George Washington bridge’s cables, and was a key component of military production in World War I, World War II, and other conflicts.
By 1961 the mill was churning out half a million short tonnes per year. However, the steel industry began to change in the 1970s, with more imports and a move towards smaller, oxygen-fuelled boilers and scrap recycling. As a result, the Sparrow’s Point complex was not as heavily used in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The plant went through a number of owners over the years, the fifth of which was Renco, which ran the plant until 2012, when it declared bankruptcy. The property is currently owned by the U.S. Steelworkers union, Tradepoint Atlantic, which has teamed up with Renexia, an Italian renewable energy provider.
The project is also expected to revitalize the state’s manufacturing industry. Approximately 500 union jobs are expected to be created along with $1.019.056.500 in total labor income over the project’s 20-year lifespan. “We are bringing manufacturing back to the United States and Maryland,” said a statement. “This investment will enable Baltimore to become a competitive offshore wind manufacturing hub and a world leader in clean energy growth.” The infrastructure investment and jobs act (IISA) and the inflation reduction act (IRRA)
Related Stories:
- https://electrek.co/2023/11/09/worlds-largest-steel-mill-wind-turbine-factory/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20US%20Wind%2C%20the,for%20MarWin%20and%20Momentum%20Wind.
- https://www.fastcompany.com/90662395/this-was-once-the-largest-steel-mill-in-the-world-now-its-going-to-build-clean-energy-infrastructure
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/09/the-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-produces-its-first-power.html
- https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/sparrows-point-wind-steel-tradepoint-atlantic/
- https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/former-sparrows-point-steel-mill-to-make-wind-turbines/
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