While tech and artificial intelligence may grab headlines and dominate the jobs discourse in the coastal metros, a 21st century industrial surge is taking place in the heart of California with the construction of one of the nation’s biggest new steel mills.
While California’s new steel mill hasn’t received the same attention from the Trump administration as the anticipated construction of the Mesabi Metallics steel complex recently announced in Iowa, the scope and scale of this California mill — along with the massive effort to power it with renewable energy — feel equally impressive.
Once it opens next year, the giant facility in Kern County, known as the Mojave Micro Mill, will be the first steel mill built in California in more than 50 years.
San Diego-based Pacific Steel Group broke ground on the mill in spring 2025…