Hyundai’s $5 Billion Steel Mill: 1,500 Jobs Coming to Louisiana

Hyundai and Louisiana have been working together for years. And now, according to reports, that partnership is about to expand in a big way.

Today, at a joint press conference with President Donald Trump and Governor Jeff Landry at noon, a new, multibillion dollar steel mill is expected to be announced. According to NOLA.com, the plant will be built somewhere in Ascension Parish and will potentially create upwards of 1,500 jobs. This plant has been rumored as early as January and seems to now be officially official.

Hyundai to Expand Their Louisiana Footprint

Hyundai's first business venture in Louisiana was Hyundai Glovis taking over a large portion of the old GM property in Shreveport. Glovis is, more or less, the "transportation & logistics" arm of Hyundai. They ship vehicles, finish them, etc..

Now, the Korean auto giant is seemingly bringing another major arm of it's company to the bayou state with this $5 billion steel mill. With Trump planning to impose stiff new tariffs on imports, the move could make a ton of business sense. Instead of paying a steep price to import steel, they'll manufacture it's own in the same state they already have a distribution infrastructure in place.

Where Will The New Facility Be Located in Louisiana?

The new Hyundai steel mill will likely be built in south Louisiana. The first of it's kind facility will allegedly be built on several hundred acres of sugar cane fields near Donaldsonville, Louisiana (roughly 30 miles south of Baton Rouge).

The mill will be the companies first steel mill built in the US. Between Hyundai and KIA (which is owned by the Hyundai corporation), the new plant could be supplying steel for most of the nearly 600,000 cars they build annually between both companies.

According to sources with knowledge of the deal, the state will require Hyundai to submit plans for approval before construction begins. If all goes smoothly, construction could start next year with the facility being operational by 2029.

With a distribution center set up in Shreveport and a steel mill being planned for South Louisiana. Could more facilities soon pop up in Louisiana? Perhaps a manufacturing plant? Only time will tell. However, as part of this deal, Hyundai did get tax breaks from the state, so further expansion could happen in the near future.

The deal is officially expected to be announced today at noon.