Dec 4 2007
Steel Dynamics, Inc. announced today that it has completed a transaction in which it has purchased approximately 6,000 acres of land at Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, from Cleveland Cliffs, Inc. Steel Dynamics also has obtained the mineral rights for this property as well as mineral rights on additional land that is contiguous to the purchased parcel. These properties are at the site of a taconite mine on the Mesabi Iron Range that was previously operated by the former LTV Corporation and was later purchased by Cleveland Cliffs.
Steel Dynamics plans to re-open the mine, to conduct surface mining of iron deposits, and to construct and operate a facility for the concentrating of iron ore. Operations could begin in late 2009 or early 2010, assuming the timely issuance of permits. In total, the cost of this venture is estimated to be $165 million. The company expects to hold approximately $65 million in equity and will be the sole owner of the mining and concentrating company, to be known as Mesabi Mining, LLC.
Separately, Steel Dynamics, Inc. and Kobe Steel, Ltd. have formed a new corporation, Mesabi Nugget Delaware, LLC, to construct and operate an iron nugget manufacturing plant on the site. Permits have been issued for the construction and operation of this iron-making facility and construction is now underway. As previously announced, Iron Range Resources and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development have supported this project, with the State of Minnesota agreeing to provide $26.5 million in non-recourse financing for the nugget project. The plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 500,000 metric tons and to begin iron nugget production in mid-2009.
Steel Dynamics anticipates that all of the iron mined from the site will be concentrated on site and delivered to the nugget plant or to future additional plants on the site. Substantially all of the output from the announced nugget plant is expected to be consumed in SDI’s mini-mills, primarily in Indiana. The company believes that this new business will be capable of providing to its steel mills, at a favorable cost, a domestic source of iron units that are of equal or higher quality than purchased pig iron. In time, additional nugget production facilities could be constructed at the site.