In 2009, Nucor Corp. sold a third fewer tonnes of steel than it did in 2008. That has made the company willing to take its time starting a proposed USD 2 billion production plant in Louisiana. Nucor bought the 890 acre plant site in May 2009 for more than USD 16 million. But company executives say the planned operation could still be shifted to Brazil if carbon legislation proposed in the US Congress, including a cap and trade system for putting a price on carbon production, proves too onerous. Nucor incurred a net loss of USD 293.6 million for 2009. In 2008, the Charlotte-based company earned USD 1.83 billion. Nucor lost money in each of the first three quarters of last year. But it managed to turn that around in the fourth quarter, reporting income of USD 58.9 million. That was considerably less than the USD 105.9 million, Nucor earned in the fourth quarter of 2008. But it was better than analysts had expected. The company also has opened its second plant that produces sheet metal from its proprietary Castrip system. It began supplying customers with steel from that plant in the fourth quarter.