ArcelorMittal restarts Dunkirk furnace to meet growing demand for flat steel

ArcelorMittal restarted blast furnace No2 at its Dunkirk operations in northern France this week, in a bid to increase hot-rolled coil output to meet growing demand, the company said.

The 1.4-million-tonnes-per-year blast furnace was restarted after having been idled in spring 2020 due to falling demand for steel in Europe caused by restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The first technical steps in preparation for a possible restart began [in the first week of December] with..., the heating of the hot stoves," the company said.

"This restart will enable ArcelorMittal France to be in a position to pick up additional orders for 2021...

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