The first new steel mill in Youngstown, Ohio, in decades is being built to supply small-diameter steel pipe for robust activity in Marcellus Shale gas-and-oil exploration. The plant is conveniently located within the geologic formation’s perimeter. Marcellus Shale is a Devonian formation situated within North America’s Allegheny Plateau.
The $650-million V&M Star mill, to be sited next to an existing V&M mill, will enable the owner to fill rising demand for smaller tubes ranging in size from 23⁄8 in. to 7 in. “It’s got to be the first new steel-making facility [in the area] in at least 40 years,” says Roger Lindgren, president of V&M Star.