Gerdau has improved how it powers one of its biggest U.S. mills while making steel even more sustainable.
The company recently completed the construction of a solar farm next to its steel mill in Midlothian, Texas. The plant started providing power to the steel mill in summer 2023 and was built in partnership with 174 Power Global, a leading solar energy company, and TotalEnergies, a global multi-energy company.
The complex is equipped with 187,000 solar panels and has the capacity to generate 80 megawatts, the equivalent of the annual energy consumption of 14,000 Texas homes. It also used more than 3,000 tons of Gerdau beams, all produced at the same Midlothian mill it now powers.
“This is an example of the circular economy at work: we recycled scrap metal to produce world-class steel, which was then utilized in a renewable energy project that will improve our future environmental performance,” said Scott Meaney, Gerdau vice president of sales and marketing. “Gerdau beams have the lowest embodied carbon in the U.S., based on Environmental Product Declaration data. This project is further reducing our emissions, allowing us to supply our customers with a cleaner product.”
The Midlothian project is the result of a 20-year energy purchase agreement between Ellis Solar, LLC and Gerdau. TotalEnergies and 174 Power Global each hold a 50% stake in the Ellis Solar, LLC joint venture.