U.S. Steel Corp. will temporarily idle its Minnesota Ore Operations, the Keetac plant in Keewatin, effective May 13. The temporary idling is due to the company’s current inventory levels and ongoing adjustment of its steelmaking operations throughout North America.
The company cited challenging market conditions as the reason for the ongoing operational adjustments. Global influences in the market, including a high level of imports, unfairly traded products and reduced steel prices, continue to have an impact, the company said. As part of the temporary idling, 412 employees at Keetac will be affected. The company will continue to produce iron ore pellets at its Minntac plant in Mount Iron, Minnesota. Annual production capability at Minntac is approximately 16 million tons of pellets, while Keetac can produce approximately 6 million tons of pellets each year.
