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The city of Lorain received some positive news this week. Republic Steel announced it would partner with ERP Iron Ore to produce pig iron – a material used to make steel and cast iron.
Republic Steel has been idle for more than a year, and Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer says this is just what the city needed.
“I’m just happy," Ritenauer said. "I’m happy for the companies, obviously, but happy for the workers. I hope some of the worker who’ve been displaced and laid off are able to get called back to this new venture, and hopefully they’ll be able to add and expand even more jobs. It’ll be good for the community as a whole.”
Ritenauer says the plant is expected to be fully operational by Summer of 2018 and will produce approximately one million tons of pig iron annually. It’s unclear how many jobs could return to the plant.