U.S. Steel plans $300M expansion for Keewatin taconite plant

(AP) - U.S. Steel says a planned expansion of its taconite plant in Keewatin will bring 75 jobs to the Iron Range.

The company says it is planning a $300 million expansion of the plant -- a project that will also require hundreds of temporary construction jobs.

U.S. Steel bought the former National Steel Pellet Company taconite plant in Keewatin in 2003. The company currently employs 370 at the Keetac facility and another 1,170 at its Minntac operation in nearby Mountain Iron.

The expansion will restart a production line that has been idle since 1980. U.S. Steel says restarting the line will take three years after all the permits are in place.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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