ArcelorMittal to restart Spanish blast furnace this week

ArcelorMittal will restart blast furnace number 2 at the Gijón plant in northern Spain on 11 January, Kallanish learns from the company. The furnace has been idled since the beginning of November 2019 for maintenance reasons and due to weakening steel demand.

ArcelorMittal, however, remains cautious about the possible recovery of normal production levels, given the current uncertain market situation.

“The decision to resume production at the BF2 is based on the need to restock after the period of shutdown due to the revamp of the Avilés steelworks and the start-up of the Gijón Coke Battery number 1 on 12 January,” ArcelorMittal confirms. The company confirmed earlier this week that a number of finishing lines in the country will suffer temporary stoppages due to weak demand.

The maintenance work included the replacement of the furnace’s cooling ducts, as well as the installation of a new dust-catching system, in addition to the existing one. The company also previously carried out work to allow the injection of coke-oven gas in this furnace at a future stage, which would result in reduced coke consumption.

The steelmaker confirms it will resume operations at its steelworks at Avilés at the beginning of February, after the completion of a planned revamp.