Trump to announce $15 billion steel mill planned for Iowa, using ore from Minnesota mine
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The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump is set to announce a new steel plant in eastern Iowa that would be one of the largest in the United States — and use iron ore mined in Minnesota.
The president is expected to host steel executives at the White House for the event at 1 p.m. CT.
The mill is being built by Mesabi Metallics, a Minnesota company owned by India-based Essar Group. The announcement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Reuters reported that the new steel mill would use iron ore from Mesabi Metallics’ new mine on the Iron Range, which officially opened earlier this month. It’s the first new iron ore mine in the state in a half-century.
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The Mesabi Metallics mine’s opening comes at a critical time in northeastern Minnesota, after closures last year at two of the region’s six taconite facilities.
Mesabi has hired more than 200 workers so far, out of a planned 350 full-time employees at the mine near Nashwauk.
The White House is framing Monday’s steel plant announcement as part of Trump’s push to revitalize American steel.
It comes as Trump is trying to energize Republican voters as his party faces challenging midterm elections. Iowa has found itself with competitive races for the Senate and the governor’s mansion this year.
MPR News contributed to this report.
