Pacific Steel officially broke ground on its 500,000-square-foot Mojave Micro Mill, California's first steel mill in more than 50 years.
The company expects the project to create nearly 700 jobs, including electricians, millwrights, welders, computer systems operators and specialists in automation, controls and robotics.
Pacific Steel plans to dedicate approximately 63 of the mill’s 174 acres to on-site renewable energy and incorporate a carbon capture system and secondary high-efficiency filtration.
The project received a $30 million California Competes tax credit last year from Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), which helped Pacific Steel hire employees and invest in manufacturing equipment. In exchange for this tax credit, the company committed to more than $540 million in capital investments and nearly 450 new jobs in the mill’s first five years of operation.
Pacific Steel will also collaborate with California State University, Bakersfield, the Kern Community College District and Antelope Valley Community College to establish pathways to employment, including a certificate program to equip students for steel manufacturing careers.
