It’s the worst-kept secret on the Iron Range: All indications point to a major expansion pending at Keewatin Taconite.

Owner U.S. Steel wasn’t commenting publicly, but told Range legislators to expect a Feb. 1 announcement that is “positive.”

U.S. Steel already has air quality permit amendments in hand for a mining expansion at the Keewatin mill. A rumored expansion on the order of $350 million would increase the plant’s production capacity by more than 3 million tons, making it second on the Range only to Minntac, also owned by U.S. Steel.
The operation produced 5.3 million tons of taconite in 2007, employing 375 Steelworkers.

I talked to Business North editor Wayne Nelson last weekend at the KAXE Annual Meeting. He knew about it and I knew about it but we couldn’t say for sure, so we just nodded a lot. Then I went to work Monday and all my mining technology students already knew about it. Yeah, this one is pretty much out there. Good news, though, so U.S. Steel probably won’t deploy their P.R. plumbers.