Utility Scale

Nextracker continues to ramp up domestic steel supply

Nextracker continues to ramp up domestic steel supply
Nextracker will be the sole customer of a steel production line at the new Steel Dynamics, Inc. facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. The line will be operated by JM Steel. (Courtesy: Nextracker)

Nextracker will be the sole customer of a steel production line at the new Steel Dynamics, Inc. facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. The line will be operated by JM Steel. (Courtesy: Nextracker)

Three factories in three months.

Nextracker, the manufacturer of utility-scale solar trackers, has added a steel production line in Pittsburgh, the company's third addition to its domestic supply chain since April.

The Pittsburgh production facility comes online through a partnership with BCI Steel. The facility will feature both new and restored equipment shipped by the U.S. from factories in Malaysia and Brazil, Nextracker said.

The news follows previous announcements that Nextracker would add new steel production lines in Corpus Christi, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona in pursuit of building out a 10 GW domestic supply chain.

The facility in Phoenix utilizes equipment Nextracker restored from China.

The newly reopened Pittsburgh factory is ideally situated with proximity to river and rail transport in a location steeped in manufacturing history. The factory lies on the same grounds where steel fabricators built materials for tank landing ships during WWII.

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Nextracker CEO Dan Shugar said customers are demanding protection from steel and logistics cost volatility that has persisted throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Procuring steel in the U.S. will improve customer delivery times and result in cleaner steel production, he said.

The Biden administration on April 18 issued a memo directing federal agencies to only procure U.S.-made iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials with funds allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.