ArcelorMittal receives environmental permit to build electric arc furnace in Avilés

Global steel producer ArcelorMittal is moving forward with the administrative formalities for an electric arc furnace (EAF) project at its Avilés site in Spain, which is considered strategic for the future of the steel industry in Asturias and the decarbonization of the company’s assets in the region. At the same time, the group has not yet made a final decision on the investment. This was reported by La Nueva Espana.

The Environment Commission (CAMA) of the Principality of Asturias, during a meeting in Oviedo, approved the environmental impact statement for the EAF project at the ArcelorMittal plant in Avilés. If implemented, it will complement the electric arc furnace already being installed at the company’s plant in Gijón, strengthening the transition to less carbon-intensive technologies in the region.

The project will be implemented at the Avilés plant and involves replacing one of the converters in the LDA steelmaking shop with an electric arc furnace with a capacity of 2.5 million tons of steel. This allows the steel plant to operate in hybrid mode, combining the traditional blast furnace-converter route with the new electric route.

As a result, the production complex will have one blast furnace in operation and one in reserve, as well as an electric arc furnace. Both units will be able to use cast iron and scrap, and the electric arc furnace will additionally be able to use direct reduced iron (DRI). According to the company, this configuration will provide flexibility in the choice of raw material mix depending on steel grades and future certification requirements. Theoretically, the share of scrap in the load can reach 100%, which opens up opportunities for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.

Despite receiving environmental approval, the project is still awaiting final investment approval by ArcelorMittal’s board of directors.

As a reminder, ArcelorMittal Spain recently temporarily shut down the coating line at its steel plant in Avilés (Asturias) for maintenance. The work is aimed at improving production quality and increasing productivity. The modernization will continue until December 26.