TO CLOSE -- The Mountain State Carbon coke plant in Follansbee is expected to close before the end of the second quarter of this year, its parent, Cleveland-Cliffs, announced Friday. -- File

FOLLANSBEE — The Mountain State Carbon coke plant in Follansbee will shut down by the second quarter of the year, parent company Cleveland-Cliffs has announced.

The decision will have an impact on as many as 288 jobs.

According to a press release, Cleveland-Cliffs continues to reduce its need for coke and coal.

The company “has implemented an environmental and operational strategy to reduce the usage of coke in our blast furnaces in order to reduce our CO2 emissions. We continue to reduce the usage of coke by increasing the use of hot-briquetted iron production and increased use of scrap in our steelmaking. This has dramatically lowered our needs for coke and coal.”

The company said it anticipates all affected employees will have job opportunities at its other nearby facilities. It said it anticipates retaining a staff 12 hourly and three salaried employees for asset management and environmental compliance during this permanent closure.

Friday’s announcement came shortly after Cleveland-Cliffs reported record annual revenue of $20.4 billion and record annual net income of $3 billion for 2021.

Follansbee’s coke plant has been in operation since 1917, and includes one 6-meter battery and three 3-meter batteries.

Workers at the plant are members of United Steelworkers Local 9545. They had signed a three-year agreement with the plant’s former owner, AK Steel, that is scheduled to expire at the end of April.

Cleveland-based Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel company and the largest iron ore pellet producer in North America. The company operates a tinplate facility in Weirton, a remnant of the former Weirton Steel Corp. It acquired that plant on Dec. 9, 2020, when it closed on its $1.4 billion purchase of ArcelorMittal’s U.S. assets.