German heavy plate producer Dillinger will restart its temporarily idled blast furnace (BF) No. 4 at its Rogesa Roheisengesellschaft Saar plant on 30 August, the steelmaker said on 28 August.
The furnace was shut down in May this year for planned repairs.
The stoppage had no impact on the heavy plate market due to seasonally weak demand during summer. In addition, the steelmaker stockpiled slab before the furnace relining to avoid supply disruptions.
Since the BF No.4 stoppage, Rogesa continued to operate BF No. 5 to supply pig iron to Dillinger subsidiaries.
In Northwest Europe, offers for s235-grade plate from integrated mills were reported in a range of EUR670-680/t ex-works. German steelmakers have been focused on deliveries to projects and to end-users under long-term agreements, which has supported spot prices.
Maria Tanatar Associate Director, Steel and Green Steel
