MOUNTAIN IRON, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Solar panel manufacturer Heliene has laid off 93 employees at its Mountain Iron facility. It’s the latest layoff in a series of job losses that have hit the Iron Range.
The laid-off workers’ last day was Wednesday. They will continue to receive pay through October, according to the company.
In a layoff notification to the state, Heliene cited “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for reducing operations. The Mountain Iron plant underwent a multimillion-dollar expansion in 2022 that made it the second-largest solar panel facility in the United States. The expansion was funded in part by grants and loans from the state.
The Heliene cuts follow the layoff of hundreds of workers by Cleveland Cliffs in 2025, and the closure of Twist Drill last year, which eliminated nearly 80 jobs.
Iron Range author and political expert Aaron Brown says many manufacturers are struggling under current economic conditions.
“We can look at the layoffs at Heliene and say that’s a blow because it’s in a sector of the economy that’s outside of mining,” Brown said. “And so you really had hoped that other sectors could maybe pick up for those 630 mining layoffs that occurred a year ago.”
Brown says solar energy overall is a growing sector, but Heliene’s segment of the market—manufacturing panels for community solar gardens—is on the decline. He credits that downturn to federal grant funding that the Trump administration pulled from public-facing solar projects.
“You can hope that they reorient around a new market plan to get their products into the sectors that are growing,” Brown said.
Heliene employee Andrew Jacobson came to Heliene after the Northern Foundry closed in Hibbing in 2025. While he kept his job in this round of cuts, Jacobson says the layoff has left him unsettled.
“You never want to go to a meeting and then go home without a job,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson says an additional 40 Heliene employees were let go in April.
“I’m reupping my resume. I want to stay positive because I absolutely love what I do,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson says he hopes more employers will look to the Iron Range.
“We need more places that are going to pay a semi-livable wage,” he said.
Sen. Tina Smith called the layoffs “devastating” and released the following statement:
“News of more layoffs on the Iron Range is devastating. Companies like Heliene are instrumental in the fight to make sure the United States isn’t lapped by China in the race to dominate the clean energy economy,” said Senator Tina Smith. “The President has repeatedly undermined American clean energy manufacturing as a favor to oil and gas companies who fund his campaigns, and now it seems workers in Minnesota are paying the price.”
State Sen. Rob Farnsworth, who represents Mountain Iron, shared the following statement:
“I’m keeping every one of these employees and their families in my thoughts as they process this difficult news. Layoffs are never easy, especially in a community that has already weathered its share of economic challenges. The Iron Range is still a great place to work and raise a family, and I want these workers to know that help is available, whether through unemployment insurance, skills training, or educational opportunities, and that my office stands ready to assist them in any way we can.”
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