ArcelorMittal is installing a ladle furnace at its facility in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France for an investment of €73 million ($79m), Kallanish notes.
The investment includes €15m from the French state as part of the “France Relance” growth plan. The new furnace will contribute to reducing the plant’s emissions by 10% and “significantly increase the use of recycled steel in the steelmaking process by 2025”, the firm says in a note. It adds that this is a further step forward in the reduction of the plant’s carbon footprint by 2030, which includes the start of a new electric arc furnace that will allow to cut emissions by 35%.
The new EAF 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.
The French government will support the overall project with an investment of €1.7 billion. ArcelorMittal and the French government signed last year a strategic partnership for these investments (see Kallanish 7 February 2022).
Natalia Capra France
