Gerdau Petersburg Steel Mill
Large load · 25801 HOFHEIMER WAY, Petersburg, VA
Gerdau's Petersburg steel mill in Dinwiddie County, Virginia is an electric arc furnace plant that turns recycled scrap into structural steel. Its AC arc furnace is fed from a 69-kV primary transformer, and a 69-kV STATCOM was contracted in 2023 to support its operation.
Overview
The Petersburg mill uses a raw material feedstock of recycled scrap metal to produce structural steel products, including wide flange beams, H piling, and sheet piling. The mill has the capacity to produce one million tonnes per year of raw steel. In October 2024 the mill halted all melting operations after a furnace washout while the rolling mill was operating. Students visiting in October 2025 witnessed the full electric arc furnace process in action from scrap steel to molten metal.
Profile
- Electricity and grid
- Primetals Technologies won a contract to provide the Gerdau Petersburg plant with a 69-kV static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) to support the operation of its alternating current electric arc furnace. The work was to ensure continuity of operation for the current plant and its 69-kV primary AC EAF transformer. In June 2023 the project was expected to be completed within 27 months.
- Ownership
- EPA's registry lists Chaparral (Virginia) Inc. as operator and Gerdau Ameristeel US Inc as owner. EPA's greenhouse gas reporting lists Gerdau USA Inc as parent owner. Gerdau Long Steel North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gerdau S.A. Since its establishment in 1999 by TXI Chaparral the mill has manufactured world-class products, and Gerdau acquired the mill in September 2007.
Facility
- Activity
- scrap-based structural steel: wide flange beams, H piling and sheet piling
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Reported Oct 9, 2024
Permits and agreements
- Permit
- NPDES VAR050619 STORM WATER INDUSTRIAL
Related records
Timeline
- Apr 30, 2021
- Gerdau completes the Petersburg rolling mill upgrade.
www.aist.org
- Jun 7, 2023
- Primetals wins contract for a 69-kV STATCOM for the electric arc furnace.
Gerdau tasks Primetals Technologies with one-of-a-kind power solution
- Oct 9, 2024
- Melting operations halted after a furnace washout.
#gerdau #gerdaulongsteelnorthamerica #petersburg #beams #steel #furnacewashout | Robert England