Nucor Corporation announced that the new steel plate mill being built in Brandenburg, Kentucky has publicly registered to pursue LEED v4 for Building and Design certification. Nucor Steel Brandenburg is the first steel mill in the world to pursue certification under LEED v4, which is more stringent than previous LEED rating systems and ambitiously aligns each credit category with sustainable performance, climate change, and revolutionizes the manufacturing landscape through third-party transparency and reporting requirements. The specific LEED features of Nucor Steel Brandenburg include preservation of a large portion of forested area on the property, lighting reduction strategies, reduced parking footprint, support for green vehicles, and water and energy efficiency measures.

In addition, over 75% of the construction waste generated building the steel mill has been diverted from landfills. Sustainable building materials, many directly produced by Nucor divisions, have also been used in the construction of the mill. In addition to pursuing LEED v4 certification, Nucor will continue to be the sustainable leader in the steel industry by further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity, which is already among the lowest in the world.

Nucor is lowering its GHG intensity by increasing its utilization of renewable energy and supporting the continued growth of clean power generation in the U.S.; investing in new energy efficiency technologies; capturing and storing CO2 emissions; and encouraging GHG reductions throughout the steel supply chain. Through its use of recycled scrap-based electric arc furnaces, Nucor's steelmaking GHG intensity is less than one-fourth of the global average and one-fifth of the average integrated steel producer. Earlier this year, Nucor began producing Econiq™, the world's first net-zero carbon steel at scale, to help its customers meet their sustainability goals.