Cliffs Natural Resources announced today they were successful in getting a 95% increase in their iron ore pellet pricing for 2010 from Essar Steel Algoma. The Essar Steel Algoma plant is a flat rolled mill producing plate, hot rolled and cold rolled steel.

CLEVELAND, Dec. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) today announced that the Company was successful in its previously disclosed arbitration with Essar Steel Algoma, Inc. In a binding decision by the American Arbitration Association, an arbitration panel redefined world prices for blast furnace pellets, a factor used in determining annual price increases or decreases under Cliffs' supply agreement with Essar Steel Algoma. This redefinition currently entitles Cliffs to use an increase in excess of 95% over 2009 prices for seaborne blast furnace pellets in the supply agreement's pricing formula. With today's final award, Cliffs anticipates collecting a cash payment in the near term from Essar Steel Algoma for the portion of revenue from 2010 pellet sales that were disputed in the arbitration.