Nucor has spent two years searching for sites inside and outsidethe US. According to a press release, its search team has selectedthe St. James Parish site because of the state's willingness tomove quickly and proposed incentive package, which includesinfrastructure improvements. The St. James site is the only oneunder consideration in the US for the new company, Nucor SteelLouisiana.

If St. James makes the final cut, Nucor plans to build ahigh-capacity port capable of handling ocean vessels and barges.Representatives from Nucor and the Louisiana Department of EconomicDevelopment were unavailable by press time.

If the site is approved by Nucor's board of directors and localand regional permitting processes go smoothly, the Nucor projectwould be the first greenfield pig iron facility built in America inmore than 30 years. In the press release, Nucor chairman and CEODaniel R. DiMicco said the facility would create hundreds of jobsin the area while helping the company control its raw materialssupply.