Nashwauk, MN (United States), April 6 (IANS) Mesabi Metallics Company LLC (Mesabi Metallics), backed by Essar Group, on Monday announced that it has secured $150 million of financing from Macquarie Group, supporting the Q3 2026 startup of its world-scale Direct Reduction (DR) grade iron ore mine and pellet plant in Nashwauk, Minnesota.

The latest financing builds on recent capital momentum for the structurally important American iron ore project.

The financing follows Mesabi’s recently announced $520 million senior secured credit facility with Breakwall Capital, further reinforcing the strong momentum behind the project.

Mesabi has also recently received support from the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM), reflecting the project’s growing strategic importance to U.S. manufacturing, infrastructure, automotive, shipbuilding, and defense.

Mesabi Metallics is building a strategically important new American source of DR-grade iron ore at a time when the United States is working to strengthen industrial supply chains and reduce reliance on imported raw materials.

Located on more than 16,000 acres in Northern Minnesota, Mesabi Metallics is completing a $2.5 billion world-scale merchant DR-grade iron ore mine and pellet plant that will supply the next generation electric arc furnaces of American steelmaking- the cleanest and most energy efficient way of making high-quality steel.

With more than 800 construction workers currently onsite, the project is one of the largest private sector industrial investments in Minnesota’s history. Essar Group has already invested more than $2 billion of equity into the project.

“This financing from Macquarie marks another major step forward for Mesabi Metallics and builds on the strong momentum we have established with our recently announced financial partnerships,” said Joe Broking, President and CEO of Mesabi Metallics.

“Together, these transactions reflect growing confidence in the quality, scale, and strategic importance of our project as we build a new American source of DR-grade iron ore to strengthen domestic steel supply chains and reduce dependence on imports,” Broking added.

“Macquarie has enjoyed a longstanding financing relationship with Essar Group, and we are pleased to extend that relationship to their metals and mining investments in the US,” said Mike Burns, Senior Managing Director in Macquarie Group’s Commodities and Global Markets business.

“Mesabi is developing a high-quality and strategically important project for the U.S. steel sector, and we look forward to supporting the company over the long term,” Burns added.

–IANS

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