A 50-50 consortium between Spanish companies Técnicas Reunidas and Idom has commenced its support to the transformation and decarbonization of the steelmaking site operated by ArcelorMittal at Dunkirk in northern France, following the award of the contract to build a new steelmaking plant at the site.
The consortium’s work, under an EPCM contract, will comprise project management, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and testing at the steelmaking plant, including the development of an electric arc furnace (EAF) and a ladle furnace (LF) for secondary refining.
The project also includes the development of auxiliary systems and infrastructure, site preparation, and subcontracting certain studies and services to third parties.
The new facilities will be integrated into the existing steelworks, thus representing a significant transformation of the site’s steel complex and, above all, making a very significant contribution to decarbonization.
The new electric arc furnace route will generate 0.6 mt of CO2 per mt of steel produced, using a mix of scrap, direct-reduced iron (HBI/DRI), and hot metal, resulting in three times less CO2 than the blast furnace route. The EAF will have a production capacity of 2 million mt/year of steel. The start of operation of the new facilities is estimated for 2029.
This contract builds on the work previously carried out by Técnicas Reunidas, in a consortium with Idom, during earlier phases of the project, in which it provided consultancy and engineering services under a front-end engineering design contract.
Author: Gianluca Baratti
