Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. said Friday that it is canceling a $1.5 billion project to bring a state-of-the-art improvement to its Mon Valley Works operations in western Pennsylvania, saying the world has changed in the two years since it announced its intentions.
Project permits initially stalled by the pandemic never came through, U.S. Steel has added capacity elsewhere, and now it must shift its focus to its goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities by 2050, it said.
U.S. Steel revealed the news in an earnings call Friday morning and in an “open letter” on social media, putting an end to what would have been one of the largest industrial investments in Pennsylvania.
It also said it will shut down batteries 1, 2 and 3 at its Clairton Plant by early 2023 — representing approximately 17% of coke production at the plant — to help reduce polluting emissions from equipment long-criticized as among the area’s worst polluters.
