first iron nuggets

First Iron Nuggets

A major celebration for the crews at Mesabi Nugget on Tuesday night. The first iron nuggets rolled off the production line.

Workers say an estimated 20 tons were produced. Crews will be fine tuning the process in the coming weeks, until they ramp up to the desired half a million tons a year by mid-year.

The project is majority owned by Steel Dynamics out of Indiana, and is made possible with technology from partial owner Kobe Steel, of Japan.

Hundreds of contractors have been working for over a year, to get the massive equipment ready at the plant in Hoyt Lakes. Mesabi Nugget itself has about 75 full time employees.

The nuggets will be used to feed SDI mini mills in Indiana. It's the world's first commercial iron nugget plant, and it's right here in Minnesota.

SDI is also working on a mine operation at the site, and officials have said it's possible they'll build more plants.

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