Polish Huta Częstochowa launches after a long downtime

On December 20, 2024, the Polish steel plant Huta Częstochowa officially starts its “cold ramp-up”, a technological stage before the full resumption of operations. According to Adrian Senicki, CEO of the company, despite the difficulties associated with the condition of the equipment, the plant is prepared to launch on schedule. This is stated in the material of Wnp.

“This is an important moment for Huta Częstochowa and its employees. Thanks to their professionalism, we were able to quickly adapt to the challenges. The correction of technological processes took place without significant delays, which minimized risks. This proves that human capital is no less important a resource than technology,” Senitsky said.

However, some of the concerns about the technical condition of the equipment were confirmed. As a result, the costs of preparing for the launch exceeded the initial forecasts. However, these difficulties also helped to better assess the real state of the plant and its investment needs.

Huta Częstochowa, which is currently operated by Węglokoks Group, has the potential to become a key element in the Polish steel chain and support the transformation of the country’s energy sector. The company is focused on the production of specialized steels, including armor plates for the defense industry.

Despite the long period of downtime, most of the skilled workers remained at the plant thanks to the support of trade unions. This helped to preserve the professional potential for further capacity restoration.

The launch of the plant will not only strengthen the domestic steel market but also reduce Poland’s dependence on imports, which is important in the context of geopolitical instability.

In January-September 2024, Poland increased imports of rolled steel products from third countries by 25.1% compared to the same period in 2023, to 1.66 million tons. Imports of long products increased by 6.9% y/y – to 422.28 thousand tons, and flat products by 32.8% y/y – to 1.24 million tons.

Last year, Poland reduced imports of rolled steel products from third countries by 14% compared to 2022, to 1.77 million tons. Steel exports increased by 15.2% y/y – to 318.8 thousand tons.