ArcelorMittal Fos-sur-Mer puts a new ladle furnace into operation

ArcelorMittal Fos-sur-Mer, the French steel plant of global steelmaker ArcelorMittal, is putting a new ladle furnace into operation. This project, announced back in 2021, is part of the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and move to greener technologies in steel production, according to a press release from ArcelorMittal France.

The unit is expected to reach full capacity by 2025. At the same time, the company’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by about 10% due to an increase in the share of scrap in steel production and a reduction in blast furnace pig iron production.

The construction phase was completed in the first quarter of this year. Testing of the equipment began in the summer. The company’s investment in the project is estimated at €76 million. Of these, €15 million is support from the French government under the France Relance program, which is part of the France 2030 initiative.

“Thanks to this project, which we are very proud to present today, the steel produced in Fos-sur-Mer for the Southern European markets will have a carbon footprint as early as 2025,” comments Bruno Ribot, CEO of ArcelorMittal Méditerranée.

ArcelorMittal Fos-sur-Mer produces more than 150 steel grades, with the automotive, construction, agricultural and energy sectors as its main customers. The plant’s production capacity reaches 2.55 million tons of steel and 2 million tons of pig iron per year.

As GMK Center reported earlier, ArcelorMittal Europe, the European arm of one of the world’s largest steel producers, increased steel production by 7.8% to 15.64 million tons in January-June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Steel shipments decreased by 0.5% y/y – to 14.64 million tons, including 10.51 million tons of flat products (-0.08% y/y) and 4.14 million tons of long products (-1.7% y/y).