Trump Announces Plans for $15 Billion Iowa Steel Mill

President Donald Trump announced plans Monday for Mesabi Metallics to build a roughly $15 billion steel mill in eastern Iowa, a project the White House says would become the largest steel plant in U.S. history. The proposed facility is expected to begin production in 2030, but the plans and projections do not establish that construction will be completed or that the mill will meet its targets. The White House says the plant would initially produce 7.5 million tons of steel annually, with capacity potentially rising to about 10 million tons. It estimates the project would create about 1,750 permanent jobs and between 5,000 and 6,000 construction jobs during its first phase. Those figures are administration estimates, not confirmed outcomes. Mesabi Metallics plans to supply the Iowa mill with iron ore from its mine in Minnesota, creating a proposed supply chain linking the two projects. The White House has described the steel production as domestic. The mine is a separate investment, reported at about $2.5 billion; the Iowa plant alone is estimated at roughly $15 billion. The project has a long development history.