Cleveland-Cliffs, one of the Region's largest employers, plans to invest in a blast furnace reline at its Burns Harbor Works steel mill in Porter County.

Blast furnace relines are massive capital projects at integrated steel mills that require hundreds of millions in investment and employ hundreds of construction workers.

"During Cleveland-Cliffs' quarterly earnings call last week, the company stated that the Burns Harbor Furnace C reline is planned for 2027," spokeswoman Patricia Persico said. "The project will be part of the company's 2027 capex."

Blast furnaces burn iron ore, limestone and coke — a purified form of coal — to make the iron that's turned into steel for various products, especially cars and appliances. They reach volcanic temperatures inside, requiring the refractory brick to be rebuilt every few decades.

The blast furnace reline is one of Cleveland-Cliffs biggest upcoming capital expenditures, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Celso Goncalves said in a conference call with investors. The company cut down on capital spending during a rough year last year when it shuttered facilities around the country, including the mill in south suburban Riverdale.

"On CapEx, we had a record low year in 2025 in capital expenditures as a steel company, with only $561 million spent," he said in a conference call with investors. "2026 total CapEx is projected to be around $700 million, reflecting more normalized maintenance capital as well as some pre-work and a coke plant upgrade ahead of the Burns Harbor furnace C reline plant for 2027."

The company plans to resume normal capital expenditures after last year's record low, including with the major reline in Burns Harbor.

"We had CapEx avoidance related to idled facilities and asset optimization and things like that. 2026 will be more normalized, that $700 million," he said during the conference call with investors. "Call it more normalized maintenance spend and some pre-work and pre-spend related to the Burns Harbor reline in 2027. And then beyond 2027, it goes to, call it, $900 million in 2027 and then back down to $700 million in 2028. And the only reason that 2027 goes to $900 million is largely because of that blast furnace reline at Burns Harbor."
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