ArcelorMittal is understood to be preparing to idle one blast furnace – HF2 – at its Dunkirk mill, in northern France, effectively reducing output for the coming months.
Earlier this month, a local trade union confirmed in a document the furnace should be temporary idled as of 11 July. A scrap dealer in France confirmed the news.
ArcelorMittal did not reply to requests for comment prior to press deadline.
According to the plans issued by the trade union, HF2 should be restarted at the end of September when another furnace at the site, HF3, will be temporary idled. The site is expected, therefore, to operate mostly with two blast furnaces during the coming months, with occasional moments during which only one blast furnace will be in operation.
As a result, the steelmaking plant at Dunkirk should be working using two of the three converters at the site from the end of June, Kallanish understands.
Demand in the European market for flat products has been under pressure since the beginning of this year, exacerbated by the ongoing uncertainty created by inflation and the war in Ukraine.
Natalia Capra France , Emanuele Norsa Italy
