Nucor Commits $105 Million to Expand Crawfordsville Towers Plant

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Nucor announced October 8 it will invest $105 million to add 125,000 square feet to its Towers & Structures facility in Crawfordsville, creating up to 100 jobs by the end of 2029 at an average wage of $87,500. Groundbreaking is expected in the first quarter of 2027, hiring starts mid-2027, and the IEDC is offering up to $1.65 million in tax credits plus $500,000 in Hoosier Business Investment credits, pending Montgomery County approval. It's Nucor's fifth major Indiana investment, totaling $597.5 million.

This isn't just capacity growth. Valmont Industries entered 2026 with a $1.5 billion utility-segment backlog and is deploying $130 to $150 million in capital spending, and Arcosa is converting an idled wind-tower plant to utility structures for second-half 2026 production, timed almost exactly against Nucor's groundbreaking. Nucor's edge is that the towers plant sits next to its own Crawfordsville sheet mill, eliminating inbound steel freight entirely. Worth noting: Nucor is expanding a plant that only started production in 2025 and hasn't finished its own ramp, which tells you utility customers are booking forward capacity faster than Nucor's original footprint can handle.

Impact

This isn't just capacity growth, it's a three-way race with named rivals: Valmont Industries entered 2026 with a $1.5 billion utility-segment backlog and is deploying $130-150 million in capex, while Arcosa is converting an idled wind-tower plant to utility structures for second-half 2026 production, timed almost exactly against Nucor's groundbreaking. Nucor's edge none of them can fully match is vertical integration, the towers plant sits next to its own Crawfordsville sheet mill, eliminating inbound steel freight entirely. Notably, Nucor is expanding a facility that only started production in 2025 and hasn't finished its own ramp, a signal that utility customers are booking forward capacity faster than Nucor's original footprint can handle.

Watch

Montgomery County Council's final vote on local incentives and the Q1 2027 groundbreaking date.

For the huddle

With $87,500 average wages well above Montgomery County's median income, are we prepared for wage pressure on welders and skilled trades as Nucor's hiring ramps through mid-2027?

Three separate Indiana employers are now recruiting welders, machinists, and engineers at wages well above most county medians, so plan your own retention and wage strategy now rather than after Nucor's mid-2027 hiring ramp starts pulling from the same labor pool.

Sources

Nucor plans to expand utility towers and structures manufacturing facility in Indiana · plantservices.com

Earlier coverage

From the brief, October 20, 2026

Amazon, AEP, and X-energy Weigh 960 MW Nuclear Plant in Sullivan County
Nucor Commits $105 Million to Expand Crawfordsville Towers Plant
Governor Braun Stacks Defense Wins From Space Academy to NWS Crane
Purdue and Google AI Summit Registration Closes October 21

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