Liberty Dunaújváros (Dunaferr)’s rolling mills, including its hot-dip galvanised line, have completed their first January campaign for specific customers, a company spokesperson tells Kallanish.
They are “on course” for their next campaign later this month, the spokesperson adds.
The firm declined to comment on whether the restart has been timed to make the most of the consecutive hikes in European flat steel prices in the past few weeks.
According to Hungarian press reports, the Dunaújváros rolling mills’ restart is the first step in its 100-day programme aimed at increasing capacity utilisation, improving efficiency and preparing for an expected market demand recovery.
The firm plans to launch retraining courses by mid-year to prepare workers for the future transition to electric arc furnace steelmaking, reports add.
According to sources, the remaining working blast furnace at Dunaújváros remains idled, as does blast furnace no.3 at the Czech-based sister Ostrava steelworks, which is awaiting power supply.
Last summer, Liberty and China’s CISDI Engineering Co. signed an agreement with the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Development to develop a decarbonisation pathway shifting Dunaferr from coal-based steelmaking to EAF technology. This will see the installation of a new 150-tonne capacity EAF to be supplied by CISDI.
Adam Smith Poland
