DECD0000084↗

AMERICAN CAST IRON PIPE COMPANY (AMERICAN) WILL RETROFIT ITS BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, FACILITY THROUGH THE INSTALLATION OF FOUR MEDIUM FREQUENCY CORELESS INDUCTION FURNACES AND THREE CHANNEL INDUCTION HOLDING FURNACES AS SUBSEQUENT DIRECT REPLACEMENTS OF THE EXISTING SINGLE CUPOLA FURNACE, TWO CHANNEL INDUCTION HOLDING FURNACES, AND SIX SMALL SUPERHEATING LOW-FREQUENCY CORELESS INDUCTION FURNACES. THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SHIFTING THE IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY TOWARDS LOW-CARBON PRODUCTION METHODS WITH LOWER OPERATIONAL COSTS BY DEMONSTRATING ELECTRIC HEATING METHODS FOR IRON MELTING REQUIRED FOR MANUFACTURING DUCTILE IRON PIPE (DIP). THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE BROADER SCRAP METAL OPTIONS, REDUCE WASTE, AND ELIMINATE COKE CONSUMPTION. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, AMERICAN WILL MAXIMIZE THE FLOW OF PROJECT BENEFITS TO SURROUNDING DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES BY REDUCING AIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FROM THE FACILITY, UPSKILLING EXISTING WORKERS, AND PROVIDING EFFECTIVE TWO-WAY COMMUNITY AND LABOR ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF THE COMMUNITY AND LABOR ENGAGEMENT TASK FORCE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL. THE PROJECT WILL INVEST IN ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE CREATION OF CONSTRUCTION AND NEW PERMANENT HIGH PAYING JOBS WITH ABOVE-AVERAGE PREVAILING WAGES AND BENEFITS, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT THROUGH THE COMPANY’S VARIOUS LEARNING PROGRAMS, INCLUDING AN APPRENTICE PROGRAM FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE EMPLOYEES. KEY PROJECT OBJECTIVES: 1. INSTALL AND COMMENCE COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS OF FOUR 35-MT 20.8-MW ELECTRIC INDUCTION MELTING FURNACES AND THREE 165-MT 2-MW ELECTRIC INDUCTION HOLDING FURNACES TO PRODUCE DIP WITHOUT FOUNDRY COKE AT THE BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, FACILITY. 2. DEMONSTRATE, QUANTIFY, AND VERIFY GATE-TO-GATE REDUCTIONS IN CARBON INTENSITY (I.E., CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT PER TON OF DUCTILE IRON PIPE PRODUCED) OF AT LEAST 50% ASSOCIATED WITH OVERALL FACILITY PROCESS EMISSIONS (AND AT LEAST 90% FOR THE MELTING HOLD PROCESS) COMPARED TO 2022 BASELINE LEVELS. 3. DEMONSTRATE, QUANTIFY, AND VERIFY CRADLE-TO-GATE REDUCTIONS IN CARBON INTENSITY ASSOCIATED WITH FACILITY PROCESS AND UPSTREAM EMISSIONS. 4. SUPPORT LABOR UPSKILLING THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS, INCLUDING MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, WALLACE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S FEDERATION FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING EDUCATION (FAME) PROGRAM, AUBURN UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT TUSCALOOSA. USE AMERICAN’S CURRENT APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM TO TRAIN EMPLOYEES ON NEWLY PURCHASED AND INSTALLED EQUIPMENT. IMPLEMENT ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE EQUITABLE PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING THROUGH RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, AND CREATE AN ESTIMATED 80 NEW PERMANENT REGULAR FULL-TIME JOBS FOR THIS PROJECT AND FUTURE PROJECTS TO INCREASE DOWNSTREAM CAPACITY. 5. IMPLEMENT A ROBUST COMMUNITY AND LABOR ENGAGEMENT TASK FORCE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH FEEDBACK MECHANISMS TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE AND TRANSPARENT TWO-WAY ENGAGEMENT. THESE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BODIES WILL HELP COORDINATE AND TRACK COMMUNITY BENEFITS COMMITMENTS AND ENSURE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO GATHER INPUT ON THE PROJECT THAT BENEFITS THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.

Cooperative Agreement (B) · Department of Energy · to American Cast Iron Pipe Company (UEI C36UMKJ51JK3) · data as of 2026-09-30

Source: USAspending.gov prime award transactions and FSRS subaward reports, as loaded by SpendQuery (data as of 2026-09-30). Amounts are obligations (money committed), not outlays. The official record on USAspending.gov ↗