Standard Steel Burnham Plant
Large load · 500 N WALNUT ST, Burnham, PA
Standard Steel operates a forging and steel-melting plant at 500 North Walnut Street in Burnham, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. The company describes itself as the only producer of forged steel wheels for railcars and locomotives in North America, and says the existing facility has been producing forgings since 1795. Sumitomo Metal Industries and Sumitomo Corporation bought Standard Steel and its affiliates in 2011, and after Sumitomo Metal Industries merged with Nippon Steel Corporation in 2012 the combined company became the majority owner. According to information the company gave county officials, Standard Steel employs about 600 people and contributes more than $100 million a year to the economy of central Pennsylvania. The Burnham plant melts scrap steel in an electric arc furnace, which makes the plant's power supply a central operating concern.
Overview
Standard Steel's Burnham plant is served by Penelec, and company officials have said the efficiency of the electric arc furnace depends on a steady voltage level from the utility. The company told county officials that Penelec will not offer guarantees or service-level agreements to protect its incoming voltage if a hyperscale data center is built nearby. Standard Steel also says current PJM grid rules could push the cost of upgrades for a data center onto other utility customers, which the company says would raise its own power costs. Company officials raised these points with Mifflin County commissioners in mid-2026, and the Sentinel reported that a data center developer had proposed a site in Granville Township.
Profile
- Curtailment during peak demand
- Standard Steel has participated in grid curtailment, which is when large users are asked to reduce load during peak demand. The company says curtailment usually comes once every few years during extreme weather, but it experienced four curtailment events within two months during the summer of 2025. When curtailment is called, the company says it cannot melt steel, which cuts into its operating efficiency. The company argues that adding another large electricity user to the area would increase how often these events happen and hamper its operations in Burnham.
- Electric arc furnaces under the Title V permit
- The Pennsylvania Title V operating permit No. 44-05001 covers the Burnham plant, with the owner listed as STD Steel LLC at 500 N Walnut St. The permit's case-by-case RACT 2 group lists two electric arc furnaces: Source 102, a No. 2 electric arc furnace, and Source 104A, a No. 4A electric arc furnace rated 75/66.5 tons and 56 MVA. The same group also covers a walking beam, a rotary hearth and a rotary austenitizing furnace, and it was updated by a Significant Modification issued on August 15, 2019. The 2019 permit revision became effective on August 16, 2019, and the furnace operation and maintenance requirements apply to both arc furnaces.
Facility
- Activity
- Forged steel wheels and axles
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
- Demand flexibility
- Curtailment events during extreme weather
Related records
Timeline
- Jan 1, 2011
- Standard Steel and its affiliates were purchased by Sumitomo Metal Industries and Sumitomo Corporation.
Standard Steel
- Aug 16, 2019
- Title V permit revision for the Burnham plant became effective, covering two electric arc furnaces.
www.epa.gov
- Jul 9, 2026
- Standard Steel told Mifflin County officials it experienced four curtailment events in summer 2025 and raised data center concerns.
Standard Steel, commissioners raise concerns over data center development - The Sentinel