ArcelorMittal signed a contract to build a new EAF in Spain

Construction work at the Gijón plant will begin in early 2024, led by the engineering company Sarralle

ArcelorMittal Asturias, the Spanish division of global steelmaker ArcelorMittal, has signed a contract with engineering company Sarralle to build a new electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Gijon plant as part of a plan to decarbonize capacity in Spain. ArcelorMittal Europe said in a press release.

Construction work on the site will begin in early 2024. Commissioning of the EAF with a capacity of 1.1 million tons is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025. As a result, the company will be able to produce long products with low carbon content, in particular rails and wire rod. It is planned to supply sectors with strict carbon content criteria, in particular government customers.

Sarralle will also install a dust extraction system and waste heat recovery unit to maximize the energy efficiency of the new electric arc furnace.

The project is part of ArcelorMittal Europe’s commitment to reduce CO₂ emissions by 35% by 2030.

“This project puts the Asturias long products division at the forefront of decarbonization. The installation of this state-of-the-art EDP will enable us to produce high value-added rails and wire rod, building a stable future for our operations and operating to the highest safety standards,“ comments Jordi Torne, CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products at ArcelorMittal Asturias.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the European division of ArcelorMittal in January-September 2023 reduced steel production by 11% compared to the same period in 2022 – to 22.2 million tons. Steel shipments decreased by 7.8% year-on-year – to 21.56 million tons.

The company forecasts that the fourth quarter will be negatively impacted by lower production, in particular due to maintenance work on blast furnaces in Fos-sur-Mer (France), Bremen (Germany) and Ghent (Belgium).