WEIRTON – United Steelworkers officials say, while there have been a few hurdles to overcome, plans remain in place to begin operations of a new transformer manufacturing facility in Weirton in 2026.

Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans for the facility in July, a few months after idling its tin operation in Weirton, saying the new operation would be located in the Half Moon Industrial Park.

Plans have called for a $150 million investment – $50 million of which was provided by the State of West Virginia – and the creation of approximately 600 jobs.

Wednesday, during a visit by U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., USW 2911 President Mark Glyptis said those plans remain in place, and are progressing.

“We want to bring people back,” Glyptis said, noting some obstacles have arisen as a result of supply chain issues.

Last year, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves announced there were no plans to resume tin production in Weirton, something Glyptis confirmed Wednesday.

The tin market, he said, continues to get smaller in the United States, with new materials being used in place of the metal in products around the world. Several companies which had purchased tin from Cliffs prior to Weirton’s idling last year, he said, still had an available supply in the manufacturing of their own products.

“We can go from a struggling business to a growing business,” he said, noting projections would provide jobs in Weirton for generations.

Steel from Cliff’s facilities in Butler, Pa., and Zanesville, Ohio, would be used in the fabrication of the transformers, according to John Saunders, staff representative for USW District 1, who added, with the growing need for electricity in the world as a result of technology, replacement of existing or damaged infrastructure, and other development, the need of transformers will continue to grow.

“If you think about it, it’s going to be the perfect thing,” Saunders said.

Glyptis acknowledged there will be some level of automation in Weirton’s transformer facility, calling it “the most modern” and “state-of-the-art” facility to ever exist in the area, he said there still be opportunity for every employee who went through a layoff from Weirton last year to return, if they would like to.

“There’s enough work there to hire everyone who worked here and wants to come back,” Glyptis said.

Approximately 200 trucks are expected to depart the facility each day, once it is fully operational, he claimed.

Glyptis also said he anticipates construction to begin in the months ahead, as a bid should be announced soon. Some of the construction also is planned to be performed by Cleveland-Cliffs employees, with Glyptis saying workers would be called back, according to scale.

“You’re going to be on the ground floor of something great,” he said.