Liberty wins race to acquire Ascoval and Hayange

French authorities have announced that Liberty Steel has been selected to take over the troubled rail mill of Hayange in northern France, as well as the steelmaking plant of Ascoval in Saint-Saulve.

The government now needs to define and approve the conditions of the sale. The French units attracted a lot of interest from other groups, including ArcelorMittal, JSW Steel and Jingye.

Ascoval can produce between 250,000 tonnes/year and 600,000 t/y of semi-finished products, depending on the specifications required.

The news has been welcomed by local authorities in northern France. The solution should guarantee an industrial future to both Hayange and Ascoval, within a growing steelmaking group like Liberty Steel, Kallanish notes.