ArcelorMittal Hamburg will suspend production twice before the end of the year

ArcelorMittal Hamburg, the German steelmaking division of global steelmaker ArcelorMittal, will halt production at the facility twice by the end of 2023. Kallanish reports about it with the reference to the letter to clients.

The company will completely stop the work of the plant for 5 weeks. Planned shutdowns of the plant will last from October 27 to November 12 and from December 14 to December 31.

Among the main reasons for the suspension of steel production, the company notes weak domestic demand for steel in Germany, especially in the construction industry, and consistently high electricity costs. The plant for the production of DRI is in a particularly difficult situation as one of the most energy-intensive enterprises of the steel industry in Germany.

The management of the enterprise made the appropriate decision after careful consideration and assessment of all available options for further activities. For five weeks in the fourth quarter of 2023, the plant will completely shut down production and operate with only minimal staff. Amid this, the company asked customers to plan for October contracts in advance.

As GMK Center reported earlier, ArcelorMittal announced plans to suspend blast furnace №2 at the German ArcelorMittal Bremen steel plant for scheduled maintenance. The unit will be suspended for 30 days from October 5, 2023. In addition, from October 9, the company will suspend blast furnace №3 for 5 days for repair work.

Also, steel enterprises of Germany in January-August 2023 reduced steel production by 4.2% compared to the same period in 2022 – to 24.33 million tons. In August, steel production decreased by 1% y/y and by 2.7% m/m – to 2.84 million tons.