U.S. Steel Restarts Granite City Blast Furnace for 2026

U.S. Steel is restarting one of two blast furnaces at its Granite City Works facility in Illinois to resume the production of steel slabs. The company expects the furnace to be operational by the April-June 2026 period to meet a rebound in customer demand. To support the restart, the company plans to hire 400 additional employees, bringing the total plant workforce to approximately 1,200.

The blast furnace had been idled since 2023, a closure that coincided with United Auto Workers strikes. The decision to reopen follows several months of analysis by leadership and occurs after the U.S. government blocked previous plans to shut down the facility. This reversal was influenced by pressure from the White House regarding the plant's processing mill.

The operational shift follows the June completion of a $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Tokyo-based Nippon Steel. To resolve national security concerns and gain approval from the Trump administration, Nippon Steel pledged to invest $14 billion in U.S. production and granted the federal government oversight regarding the idling or closing of domestic plants. David B. Burritt, President and CEO of U.S. Steel, stated that the company is confident in its ability to operate the mill safely and profitably to meet 2026 demand.