NewRange clears old Duluth-area plant for copper and nickel mine
NewRange gutted a quarter-mile plant near Hoyt Lakes, but the copper-nickel mine still faces permit fights, litigation and a late-2025 state decision.
NewRange Copper Nickel has cleared the old LTV Steel taconite processing plant near Hoyt Lakes, removing more than 30,000 tons of steel and enough concrete to fill nearly 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools from the quarter-mile-long concentrator building. The salvage work was one of the largest in Minnesota history, stripping the former industrial site so crews can install new equipment for the NorthMet copper and nickel project.
The mine was first proposed in 2005 and is now about 20 years into review, redesign and legal wrangling. NewRange was formed in early 2023 as a 50-50 joint venture between PolyMet Mining, a subsidiary of Glencore, and Teck. NorthMet would be the first mine in Minnesota for copper, nickel and precious metals, with operations near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes in the Iron Range.
A Minnesota administrative law judge recommended in 2023 that the state not reissue the permit to mine, saying the bentonite-based tailings plan was not practical and workable. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources delayed its decision until late 2025 while NewRange studied design changes, including different tailings storage options such as old iron mine pits.
Environmental groups and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa have warned that mine waste could contaminate waters flowing toward Lake Superior. NewRange is examining environmental safeguards, water science, production efficiency and carbon reduction as it revises the plan.
Early planning projected a 20-year permitted mine life, with 29,000 tonnes of ore a day and annual payable production in the first full five years of about 30,000 tonnes of copper and 3,600 tonnes of nickel.
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