Pacific Steel Group broke ground on the Mojave Micro Mill in Mojave, California on March 7, 2025, marking the first new steel mill built in the state in more than 50 years. The facility covers 174 acres and 500,000 square feet, and is designed to produce zero-carbon-emissions steel. State officials, local leaders, and private sector partners attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
What it means
Pacific Steel committed to more than $540 million in capital investments and nearly 450 new jobs within the mill’s first five years of operation in exchange for a $30 million California Competes tax credit awarded by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Total expected job creation, including electricians, millwrights, welders, computer systems operators, and automation, controls, and robotics specialists, reaches nearly 700. Approximately 63 of the site’s 174 acres will be dedicated to on-site renewable energy, and the facility incorporates a carbon capture system and secondary high-efficiency filtration.
Pacific Steel is working with California State University, Bakersfield, Kern Community College District, and Antelope Valley Community College to establish a certificate program preparing students for steel manufacturing careers. A state official said at the groundbreaking that the project demonstrates how regional economic growth can be pursued alongside climate action and public health improvements, and that California is “doubling down on innovative technologies to create jobs and ensure our roads, bridges and hospitals are built with cleaner materials made right here in California.”
Key facts
- Location: Mojave, California (Kern County)
- Site size: 174 acres total; 500,000 square feet of facility space
- Renewable energy area: 63 acres dedicated to on-site renewable energy
- Capital investment: more than $540 million committed by Pacific Steel Group, according to the company
- California Competes tax credit: $30 million, awarded by GO-Biz
- Jobs committed in first 5 years: nearly 450 (per tax credit agreement)
- Total expected jobs: nearly 700, according to the company
- Education partners: CSU Bakersfield, Kern Community College District, Antelope Valley Community College
- Groundbreaking date: March 7, 2025
Source: State of California news release (gov.ca.gov)