CLEVELAND — U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is in the region Tuesday as Cleveland-Cliffs hosts him and other federal officials at its Butler Works facility to showcase a $200 million expansion of grain-oriented electrical steel production, backed by a $75 million U.S. Department of Energy award.
Grain-oriented electrical steel, known as GOES, is a critical material used in electrical transformers that support the nation’s power grid. As utilities invest in grid modernization, power generation and infrastructure projects across the country, demand for transformers — and the steel inside them — keeps growing.
The expansion project will increase GOES production volume at Butler Works by up to 25 percent while improving steel quality and operating efficiency, the company said. Cliffs executives say the additional output will strengthen the domestic transformer supply chain at a time when the country’s electricity needs are rising.
“We are honored to welcome Secretary Wright,” said Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ chairman and chief executive officer. “Expanding GOES production at Butler Works will strengthen the domestic transformer supply chain, support American energy security, and help meet the country’s growing electricity needs.” Wright is joined by Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson and Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt for Tuesday’s visit.
