U.S. Steel Corp. said Dec. 29 that it is resuming operations at the Keetac plant in Keewatin, Minn., with production slated to begin in March 2017.

The move comes after the company reached agreements to supply iron ore pellets to third-party customers.

Employee callbacks at Keetac will begin in early January 2017.

The company temporarily idled the 6 million-tonne capacity plant in 2015 due to global influences in the market, including high levels of imported steel products, unfair trade and falling steel prices.