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U.S. Steel said it will resume producing steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois as demand rebounds.

The Pittsburgh-based company expects to resume steel production in the first half of next year after hiring and training workers and ensuring equipment is in safe operating condition. (Photo: U.S. Steel)

The company had shut down the last blast furnace there in 2023 and moved to wind down the site’s steel processing mill in September, Marc Levy reported for the Associated Press (AP).

However, under pressure from the White House, the company reversed its decision on the processing mill — and is now taking an additional step by restarting the blast furnace idled two years ago amid United Auto Workers strikes.

U.S. Steel said recently that it is beginning the process of restarting the furnace due to rising “customer demand,” at the plant located in southern Illinois just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

“After several months of carefully analyzing customer demand, we made the decision to restart a blast furnace,” CEO David Burritt said in a statement.

“Steel remains a highly competitive and highly cyclical industry, but we are confident in our ability to safely and profitably operate the mill to meet 2026 demand.”

The Pittsburgh-based company expects to resume steel production in the first half of next year after hiring and training workers and ensuring equipment is in safe operating condition.

It plans to hire 400 of the 500 workers needed to fully operate the facility, the company said.