Mesabi Metallics Achieves First Production Blast
07/22/2026 - Mesabi Metallics Co. LLC announced it has successfully completed its first production blast with the intention of becoming the first new iron ore mine and pellet plant built in Minnesota in 50 years.
“This first blast is the moment this project stops being about preparation and starts being about production. The ore we blasted today will be processed into some of the highest-quality DR-grade pellets in the world,” said Shane Holman, general manager of mining for Mesabi Metallics.
The company said it expects weekly blasting to continue as it works toward full-scale production. For the first blast, they used a 66-hole pattern and were able to fracture about 211,000 metric tons of ore. This will provide the first ramp to the bottom of the pit so 400-metric-ton haul trucks can move ore out of the ground.
The company said it is on schedule for its first pellet production to occur in the third quarter.
The company said it expects weekly blasting to continue as it works toward full-scale production. For the first blast, they used a 66-hole pattern and were able to fracture about 211,000 metric tons of ore. This will provide the first ramp to the bottom of the pit so 400-metric-ton haul trucks can move ore out of the ground.
The company said it is on schedule for its first pellet production to occur in the third quarter.
