GARY, Ind. (AP) – U.S. Steel has announced it will close the coke-making plant at its Gary Works, displacing about 300 workers.

Company spokeswoman Courtney Boone says the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker plans to talk with affected workers and the United Steelworkers union about whether they will be transferred or laid off.

The (Munster) Times reports the Gary Works will bring in coke from elsewhere. Coke is a purified form of coal that's burned in blast furnaces to make iron.

U.S. Steel previously announced it would lay off 369 production workers indefinitely in March when it idles its East Chicago Tin finishing plant.

The Gary Works is the nation's largest steel mill, stretching seven miles along Lake Michigan. It can produce 7.5 million net tons of steel a year. More than 5,000 employees work there.