ArcelorMittal to restart Gijon BF B next week
Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal will restart blast furnace B at its Gijon site in Spain by the middle of next week.
The furnace has been off line since late last year. The company said in February that it had to cool the unit for maintenance after an unsuccessful attempt at stabilisation.
ArcelorMittal operates two blast furnaces in Gijon. Blast furnace A has continued to operate while repairs are carried out at blast furnace B. The two units have a combined capacity of 4.7mn t/yr, with each furnace able to produce 2.35mn t/yr.
ArcelorMittal confirmed it had restarted blast furnace 3 at its Dabrowa Gornicza plant in Poland earlier this week. The company plans to restart its idled blast furnace in Fos-sur-Mer, France, in June.
ArcelorMittal is bringing capacity back on line in response to trade regulations that could increase demand for EU steel.
Brazil’s slab exports to the EU increased in April after a slowdown in March, trade data released today show. Brazil exported 260,000t of slab to the bloc last month, with almost 80,000t sent to Spain, 70,000t to France and 40,000t to Poland. Brazil’s slab exports to the EU over January-April totalled 700,000t, up from no exports in the same period in 2025 and around 700,000t in the full year 2025. ArcelorMittal acquired Brazilian slab producer CSP in 2023.
Author: Lora Stoyanova
Protecting the Electromechanical Supply Chain: Minister Urso Meets the President of ESN Franco Felisa at Palazzo Piacentini.
Yesterday morning at Palazzo Piacentini, the Minister of Business and Made in Italy (MIMIT), Adolfo Urso, met with the Electromechanics Synergy Network (ESN), represented by President Franco Felisa, to discuss the challenges facing the European electromechanical and steel supply chain.
At the heart of the discussion was a clear request: to extend EU safeguard measures beyond steel, including strategic components such as transformers, generators, and electric motors, which are currently threatened by unfair global competition.
“There is no more time to lose,” Minister Urso declared. “The global context has changed, and Europe must shift from an ideological approach to a pragmatic industrial strategy that protects our companies.”
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the MASE (Ministry of Environment and Energy Security), MEF (Ministry of Economy and Finance), MAECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), and MEP Elena Donazzan (Vice-Chair of the ITRE Committee). Their presence underscores a unified national strategy aimed at bolstering Italy’s industrial competitiveness.