Though industry insiders are still waiting on the details, early indicators are that Alabama could gain handsomely from the U.S. Steel-Nippon partnership that President Donald Trump announced last week.

Trump held a rally in Pittsburgh last Friday to celebrate a deal for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, which he says will keep the longtime American steelmaker under U.S. control.

Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, but last month he announced an agreement for what he described as “partial ownership” by Nippon.

It’s not clear whether the deal has been consummated.

On Friday, Trump announced he was increasing tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%. He also gave a few details on the proposed U.S. Steel deal, which he said would add another $14 billion to the U.S. economy, with the “bulk of that investment (to) occur in the next 14 months.”

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that would include $2.2 billion in investments in Pennsylvania, $200 million for an advanced tech research and development center in Pennsylvania, and $7 billion in investments for modernizing steel mills in Indiana, Arkansas, Minnesota and Alabama.

He also said there would be no layoffs and that “every U.S. Steel worker” would get a $5,000 bonus, which Nippon had previously promised to workers in Pennsylvania.

The Minot Daily News, citing a source with knowledge of the deal, said the deal means $500 million in Alabama for tubular upgrades.

U.S. Steel pumped $412 million into its electric arc furnace in Fairfield that began production in 2020.

The furnace can produce as much as 1.6 million tons of steel a year and employs a mix of mini-mill and integrated mill technology.

Electric arc furnaces make steel from melted scrap metal instead of iron ore and can operate with fewer workers. They are also easier to stop and restart than traditional blast furnaces that must operate continuously to avoid damage, making them flexible to market demands.

The project was originally shut down in Dec. 2015 due to unfavorable market conditions, but was announced again in 2019.

U.S. Steel, founded in 1901, has deep roots in Alabama and was once the largest employer in Birmingham, with about 15,000 people on the payroll at its peak.