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Louisiana officials announced that Hyundai plans to build a $5.8 billion steel mill in Donaldsonville to support its US auto manufacturing operations.
Louisiana Economic Development said in a statement last week that the Hyundai Steel project will create 1,300 direct jobs (averaging $95,000/year) and an estimated 4,100 indirect jobs, boosting the region’s economy.
Construction & Expected Start
The steel mill project centers around Hyundai’s push for a US-based supply chain. The limited details around the build released by Louisiana Economic Development include:
- A 1,700-acre site in the RiverPlex MegaPark, a 17,000-acre industrial zone along the Mississippi River.
- Construction is expected to start in Q3 2026, with a deepwater dock planned for material shipments.
Infrastructure Upgrades Brighten Economic Outlook
Louisiana Economic Development added that infrastructure upgrades to electric, road, rail, electric, and pipelines would “enable the full development of RiverPlex MegaPark, attracting future suppliers and customers.”
Michael Guckes, ConstructConnect’s Chief Economist, said, “The electrification of the economy will continue to drive significant demand for power generation and infrastructure projects.” [Read the forecast in The 2025 Construction Economy Yearbook]
Guckes points to the growth of artificial intelligence, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, and the growing reliance on electric appliances and devices as demand drivers of new infrastructure construction projects.
Governor Jeff Landry called it a “game-changer” for the state’s manufacturing outlook. Production is expected to be 2.7 million metric tons of ultra-low-carbon steel annually, supplying Hyundai’s regional US auto plants in Alabama and Georgia.
RiverPlex MegaPark has 10 miles of Mississippi River frontage. The Louisiana site is located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
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Construction Starts Here™ at ConstructConnect, where our mission is to help the construction industry start every project on a solid foundation. A leading provider of software solutions for the preconstruction industry, ConstructConnect empowers commercial construction firms to streamline their workflows and maximize productivity. ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
