ArcelorMittal will commission the new ladle furnace at its facility in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, in the second quarter. This will represent “the beginning of the electrification of the plant in Fos-sur-Mer”, the steelmaker says in a note obtained by Kallanish.
It aims to ramp up the unit between April and May. No production stoppages or slowdown are scheduled during the start-up and integration.
The 85-tonne transformer, two domes, three electrodes to convey the electrical power necessary to heat the liquid steel, six electrical rooms, 300 meters of conveyor belt and a control room are now being built. The ladle furnace will heat the steel to the right temperature, compensating for the cooling generated by the addition of recycled steel in larger quantities at the converter stage.
This will reduce the carbon footprint of the site by almost 10% as the company aims to reach a 35% reduction by 2030. The furnace will have a full capacity of 50 megawatts. The total investment was €76 million ($82m), including €15m from the French state as part of the “France Relance” growth plan.
A new electric arc furnace in Fos will be operational from 2027 and will replace one blast furnace by the end of the decade. At present, ArcelorMittal has two blast furnaces at Fos-sur-Mer.
Natalia Capra France
