The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has approved an expedited air permit for Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel’s proposed $5.8 billion steel mill in Ascension Parish.
The agency posted the 96-page approval this week, though the documents on LDEQ’s website are dated Friday.
The permit authorizes the facility to operate and expires at midnight on Oct. 23, 2031, unless the company submits a complete renewal application at least six months before the expiration date.
LDEQ held a 4 ½-hour public hearing on the draft air permit on Sept.1, which drew sharply divided testimony from supporters and opponents.
The project is expected to create 1,300 direct jobs and more than 4,000 indirect jobs.
Earlier this summer, HPLS submitted revisions to its air permit application expected to reduce emissions, an improvement over the version submitted in January.
The revised application included several environmental upgrades:
Replacing nine natural gas-fired industrial heaters with electric heaters
Installing selective catalytic reduction systems in the direct reduction plant and cold rolling mill to further reduce nitrogen oxide emissions
Adding 12 ultra-low NOx burners to the steel manufacturing process
Enhancing particulate matter control systems with improved dust collection efficiency
The changes stem from ongoing engineering optimization and environmental review efforts. As a result, the facility’s projected emissions would be reduced by about 294,486 tons of greenhouse gases annually, along with roughly 500 tons per year of nitrogen oxide emissions, 240 tons per year of particulate matter (PM10) emissions, and 203 tons per year of particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions.
The company held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Sept. 4 but could not begin construction until the air permit was issued.
