American Cast Iron Pipe Co. is investing $185.4 million in its Next Generation Melt Project. The project is one of 33 selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for award negotiations. In total, the selected projects are eligible to receive up to $6 billion to accelerate decarbonization projects.
The Next Gen Melt Project, which is slated for completion in 2027, will replace American’s current single cupola furnace in Birmingham with four coreless induction furnaces. The electric-melt technology will reduce the facility’s CO2 emissions by 62% and melting/holding process CO2 emissions by 95%, as the company will be able to source energy from cleaner and renewable sources. In addition, the new facility will increase the company’s melting capacity by 25% to meet growing demand in its water and wastewater products.
“We are thrilled to learn we had made it to the negotiation phase of the awards,” said Scott Murphy, chief financial officer and project co-lead. “We are hopeful for a substantial amount of funding to offset the cost of this project and support others. This is the first of several initiatives planned over the next five to seven years to improve the company’s carbon footprint and sustainable manufacturing processes.”
With the Next Gen Melt Project, American will be the first in the ductile iron pipe industry to use the electric-melt technology on this scale.
“We believe this technology can revolutionize the way ductile iron pipe is produced in the U.S.,” said Joe Thomas, senior vice president of engineering and project co-lead. “These upgrades can be replicated throughout the industry to provide lower-carbon footprint piping for municipal water systems to replace America’s aging water infrastructure.”
American was founded in Birmingham in 1905 and manufactures ductile iron pipe, spiral-welded steel pipe, valves and hydrants for the waterworks industry and steel pipe for the energy and carbon capture industries.
