US Steel is idling its Keewatin Taconite plant on the Iron Range indefinitely as that demand for iron and steel has dropped following the global COVID-19 pandemic that shut key industries including US auto factories. The closure will affect 75 employees near term but a total of 375 employees over the next month, said officials. The state of Minnesota has been notified US Steel said “After further study of current demand, we must make additional adjustments to our raw materials production and indefinitely idle our Keetac facility to respond to the sudden and dramatic decline in business conditions resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

Keetac can produce about 6 million net st of iron ore pellets each year.

 

With Keetac idling, it is not clear if US Steel also plans to take similar action at its other iron pelletizing operations in Minnesota. US Steels owns Minntac in Mountain Iron and owns a minority share of Hibbing Taconite in Hibbing.（STEELGURU）