New details emerge on massive $15 billion Iowa steel plant project

UPDATE - follow-up to Trump unveils Essar's new steel plant in Iowa: Mesabi Metallics is building the facility with the goal of starting production by the year 2030, according to a White House official.

Plant Details

The new facility is expected to make 10 million tonnes of steel every year. It will also create up to 1,750 permanent jobs in Iowa.

Iron Supply

The plant will run on iron ore from a new mine in Minnesota. The company invested $2.5 billion to build this mine, which will produce about 7.5 million tonnes of iron per year. This mine will create about 350 jobs in Minnesota and is the first new iron mine in the U.S. in 50 years.

Context

Large industrial projects of this scale often take several years to move from the initial planning and announcement stage to active production. The historic Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota has a long legacy of supplying the raw materials needed for American manufacturing.