David Burritt, the president and CEO of U.S. Steel, addresses members of the Detroit Economic club in Detroit, Michigan U.S., September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

Dec 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Steel said on Thursday it has begun the process to restart operations in one of two blast furnaces at Granite City Works, driven by customer demand.

"After several months of carefully analyzing customer demand, we made the decision to restart a blast furnace," said U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt.

The company, now owned by Tokyo-based Nippon Steel, had temporarily idled the furnace in 2023.

"We are confident in our ability to safely and profitably operate the mill to meet 2026 demand," Burritt added.

The company expects to add about 400 employees at the Granite City, Illinois, facility to operate the blast furnace, raising the plant's workforce to about 1,200, a U.S. Steel spokesperson told Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the development.

Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel closed in June, after signing a deal with the Trump administration.

(Reporting by Parth Chandna; Editing by Alan Barona)