ArcelorMittal to start maintenance at two plants in France

ArcelorMittal has announced a maintenance program worth more than €270 million, which will include the suspension of certain operations at its French plants in Dunkirk and FOS-sur-Mer for several months. This was reported by France3-regions.

Starting April 15, the main blast furnace – No. 4 – in Dunkirk, the largest in Europe, will be shut down. As noted, this should help maintain the efficiency of these tools (while preparing the industrial site for the next stage of decarbonization).

Investments in maintenance in Dunkirk will amount to €254 million, divided into three major projects – the sinter chain, blast furnace and converter at the steel plant. As noted, the work will maintain the efficiency of these tools, maintain their operational reliability and improve functionality, while preparing the industrial site for the next stage of decarbonization.

In addition, an €18.3 million maintenance project is planned for blast furnace No. 1 at ArcelorMittal’s FOS-sur-Mer plant. The modernization of the unit will begin by the end of the first quarter of this year. In this way, the company intends to extend the blast furnace’s lifespan so that it can replace blast furnace No. 2, the only one currently in operation, in the first half of 2026.

As a reminder, ArcelorMittal reduced steel production by 0.3% in 2024 compared to 2023, to 57.9 million tons. Shipments of steel products to customers in the period amounted to 54.3 million tons (-2.3% y/y).