ArcelorMittal prepares to launch a new electric arc furnace at the Belval plant

The unit is scheduled to reach its design capacity at the Luxembourg site in early January

Global mining and steel company ArcelorMittal will soon begin hot testing of a new electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Belval site in Luxembourg. This was reported by Kallanish, citing sources close to the company.

The start of testing marks the final stage of the SteelUp! modernization project, with the unit scheduled to reach full design capacity in early January.

Since mid-October, the company has been dismantling the old EAF, which has been in operation since 1997, and completing the construction of the new facility. The SteelUp! project aims to upgrade Belval’s production facilities and transfer the production of semi-finished products supplied to the Rodange long product mill.

As part of the project, the Belval site has received a new electric arc furnace, a vacuum degassing unit, and a modernized continuous casting line. These investments are expected to improve the energy efficiency of production and increase steel smelting capacity by almost 15%.

Replacing the old furnace with a modern EAF will make ArcelorMittal Long Products Luxembourg completely self-sufficient in steel smelting. Once the new equipment is operating at full capacity, the plant will be able to fully meet the demand for finished products in Luxembourg without resorting to external supplies of semi-finished products.

The project also envisages a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 15% and a similar increase in productivity in the heavy sections segment. In addition, a vacuum degassing system will reduce the content of dissolved gases in steel, improving product quality.

As a reminder, in 2024, ArcelorMittal’s European division increased steel production by 8.3% compared to 2023, to 31.2 million tons. Steel production in blast furnaces increased by 10.8% y/y to 25.7 million tons, while electric arc furnace production decreased by 1.8% y/y – to 5.5 million tons.