Cleveland-Cliffs has announced a $1 billion investment in its Middletown Works steel plant in Ohio, aimed at modernizing operations and strengthening domestic automotive-grade steel production.The investment will be shared equally between Cleveland-Cliffs and the U.S. Department of Energy, with spending planned over the next four years. Key upgrades include improvements to the plant’s blast furnace, advanced material-handling infrastructure and the introduction of AI-enabled process control technologies.
The project will also include an advanced cogeneration facility designed to capture blast furnace gas and use it to generate electricity and steam for on-site operations. The initiative is expected to improve energy efficiency, operational performance and the plant’s long-term competitiveness.
Cleveland-Cliffs said the investment will help preserve around 2,300 jobs at Middletown Works, its flagship facility for automotive-grade steel. Work is expected to begin shortly, while the major blast furnace rebuild is scheduled for the first quarter of 2030.The investment highlights continued efforts to modernize U.S. steelmaking capacity while supporting advanced manufacturing and domestic steel supply.
