First Blast: America's Iron Ore Comeback Heard on the Iron Range

Mesabi Metallics fires first blast toward "Patriot Pellet," ending U.S. dependence on scarce foreign DR-grade ore

NASHWAUK, Minn., July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- American iron ore mining is growing. Mesabi Metallics Company LLC (Mesabi Metallics) today announced the successful completion of its first production blast, a defining milestone in the company's drive to become the first new iron ore mine and pellet plant built in Minnesota in fifty years, and an on-schedule step toward first pellet production later in the third quarter.

The blast used a 66-hole pattern and fractured approximately 211,000 tons of ore in a single shot which represents nearly half the total rock removed to carve Mount Rushmore. It opens the first ramp into the bottom of the pit, clearing the way for 400-ton haul trucks to move ore out of the ground for the first time.

"This first blast is the moment this project stops being about preparation and starts being about production," said Shane Holman, General Manager – Mine, Mesabi Metallics. "The ore we blasted today will be processed into some of the highest quality DR-grade pellets in the world."

"Every ton of ore that comes out of this mine represents American jobs, American investment, and American capability being put back to work, said Joe Broking CEO of Mesabi Metallics. We are committed to investing in the Iron Range to keep powering America's steel, America's shipyards, and America's defense industrial base."

The blast follows Mesabi Metallics' announcement on July 4^th, America's 250th birthday, of the 'Patriot Pellet,' the brand for the highest quality DR-grade iron ore pellet produced entirely on the Iron Range. Patriot Pellet is a statement: American mines, American workers, and American steel should not be at the mercy of foreign supply chains. Every ton produced is a ton that does not need to be imported.

Mesabi Metallics expects weekly blasting to continue as the mine advances toward full-scale production, supplying the steel industry with high-quality DR-grade iron ore pellets from Minnesota's Iron Range.

About Mesabi Metallics Company LLC

Mesabi Metallics Company LLC, an Essar Group company, is developing a state-of-the-art DR-grade iron ore mine and pellet plant in Nashwauk, Minnesota. Upon completion, the project will represent an approximately $2.5 billion investment and become the first new iron ore mine and pellet plant developed in Minnesota in nearly fifty years. Mesabi is expected to produce some of the highest-grade DR pellets in the world, providing a secure domestic supply of critical raw materials needed to support America's steel industry, infrastructure buildout, shipbuilding, defense industrial base and broader manufacturing resurgence.

Mesabi Metallics is the cornerstone of a broader strategy to re-shore critical steel supply chains and industrial production back to the United States.