ArcelorMittal halts coke production at its Gijon plant

Global steelmaker ArcelorMittal has suspended coke production at its steel plant in Gijon, Spain, due to force majeure. This is reported by LaVozdeAsturias.

On September 17, an explosion occurred at coke oven battery No. 1 in the coke-chemical division of the plant. According to Alberto Carrero, Director of Sustainability and Communications at ArcelorMittal Spain, the explosion occurred at 14:00 due to excess coke oven gas. Three workers were injured while in the transit area.

After the explosion, the plant’s two coke oven batteries were immediately shut down and firefighters extinguished the fire.

ArcelorMittal excludes that the explosion will affect coke production. Alberto Carrero assured that metallurgical production will not be affected, though there may be delays or temporary shutdowns of units powered by coke oven gas. He also emphasized that the coke oven batteries in Gijon are the most efficient among the group’s other assets, as the units have undergone a complete overhaul and have been operating for several years without a single safety incident.

The plant’s coke and chemical products are supplied to steelmaking facilities in Gijón and Aviles in the northern Asturias region. The company produces flat products (heavy plates) and long products (rails and wire rod) in Gijón, and flat products (galvanized and coiled tin) in Aviles.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in January-June 2024, ArcelorMittal Europe increased steel production by 7.8% compared to the same period in 2023 to 15.64 million tons. Steel shipments for 6 months 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).

ArcelorMittal is a leading global steel and mining company with operations in 60 countries and production assets in 18 countries.