ArcelorMittal’s SteelUp! project at its Belval plant in Luxembourg is progressing into its final phase, with commissioning of the new electric arc furnace scheduled for the end of 2025, according to a source close to the company.
The final stage began in mid-October with the shutdown of the existing EAF to allow for work on the new equipment. The brownfield SteelUp! project focuses on modernising the Belval site and relocating the production of semi-finished products supplied to the Rodange sections mill. Belval will be equipped with a new EAF, vacuum degassing unit, and a revamped continuous casting line. The modernisation aims to enhance energy efficiency and increase steel production capacity by nearly 15%, Kallanish notes.
With the new EAF replacing the unit that has been in operation since 1997, ArcelorMittal Long Products Luxembourg will become self-sufficient in crude steel production, fully covering the requirements of finished products in the Grand Duchy once the new equipment reaches full production, the source confirms.
The project comprises a digitised “no man on the floor” electric arc furnace with increased safety, a 15% energy consumption reduction, and 15% heavy sections productivity hike. The new vacuum degassing system will reduce dissolved gas. The works include a continuous casting transformation system for new high-carbon steel grades and heavier beam blanks.
The scrap baskets will be enlarged to fill the furnace in one operation, boosting steel melting capacity each cycle. The project also involves a new 150m² platform with a 100-tonne hot-briquetted iron supply system. The imported HBI, used to make Rodange’s semi-finished steel feedstock, is stored in a silo near the scrap yard. This enables the production of metallurgical grades previously only achievable with blast furnaces.
The modernisation will help to reach a certified low carbon footprint for steel of below 300kg per tonne, cutting CO2 emissions by 200,000 t/year. The Belval site will obtain the XCarb label for rails produced from mill A.
The new Belval EAF costs about €67 million ($77.9m), with around €15m funding coming from state subsidies.
ArcelorMittal Luxembourg includes the Belval, Differdange and Rodange sites. Belval comprises an electric steelworks and two rolling mills. The steelworks produces semi-finished products mainly intended for the Belval Medium Section Mill and Train A in Rodange. The new Belval EAF will increase ArcelorMittal Luxembourg production to 2.5 million tonnes/year of steel.
Natalia Capra France
