DULUTH, Minn. -- Hibbing Taconite will stay shut down through April of next year, keeping its 700 employees out of work longer than initially planned.
Two production lines at the plant were idled in March, and it shut down entirely in May. It was originally to stay closed for 15 weeks, but owner Cleveland Cliffs now says it won't re-open until April 2010.
The announcement comes as global steel demand remains low and demand for taconite has dropped. All six taconite plants on northern Minnesota's Iron Range are either idled or have been in recent weeks.
Another Cleveland Cliffs operation, Northshore Mining Company, has been idle since April 6 but is still scheduled to restart on July 5.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
