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Two ArcelorMittal BFs Out of Commission, Shipment Delays Expected

April 5, 2023

ArcelorMittal is anticipating delays in shipments after recent incidents took down two of its European blast furnaces (BFs).

ArcelorMittal On March 22, a serious fire totally disabled BF A at its mill in Gijón, Asturias, in northeast Spain. Then, on March 30, BF HF4 at its Dunkirk plant in northern France was idled after a similar incident.

“We are assessing the damages and the time needed to make the necessary repairs as well as the impact on our production plans,” ArcelorMittal Flat Europe said in a March 31 letter to customers.

“At this stage, given the severity of the incidents, it appears that several weeks will be needed to get back to standard production levels. This means that we must acknowledge that delays in execution of existing orderbook is likely to be unavoidable and that allocations for fresh orderbook may also be reduced,” the steelmaker said in the letter.

The Dunkirk mill produces slabs and hot-rolled coils. The steelmaking behemoth is planning to build a 2.5-million-metric-ton direct-reduced iron (DRI) unit there to begin operations in 2027. Two out of three BFs at the plant are expected to be replaced by the DRI facility.

The Gijon plant operates two BFs and produces heavy plate, wire rod, and rail products.

By Laura Miller, laura@steelmarketupdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.