Liberty Belgium rolling lines attract three bids

The search for a new owner for Liberty Steel’s coil rolling plants in Belgium is moving forward, with the first phase of bidding now concluded.

According to Belgian press reports, bids have been submitted by ArcelorMittal, Marcegaglia jointly with NLMK’s European arm, and Liberty Steel itself.

The firms declined to comment.

Liberty Steel’s Belgium-based assets include a series of lines for packaging steel, located in Tilleur, and two hot-dip galvanising lines located in Flemalle. The units can produce up to 1 million tonnes/year of hot-dip galvanized coil and 200,000 t/y of packaging products. They were acquired by Liberty from ArcelorMittal in 2019, Kallanish notes.

It is understood ArcelorMittal and Marcegaglia have shown interest mainly in the HDG lines in Flemalle, while Liberty Steel wants the entire unit, including the packaging mill in Tilleur.

Local trade unions and authorities met recently to look into the bids, taking into consideration the fact that some bids involve cutting the workforce drastically. Further updates on the next step of the sale process are expected in the coming weeks.

Emanuele Norsa Italy