ArcelorMittal steel plant in Poland refuses to restart blast furnace due to lack of orders
The restart date for Blast Furnace No. 3 at ArcelorMittal's smelter in Dąbrowa Gurnicza, Poland, is being pushed back due to "current market conditions in the EU". The company explained that the level of orders received by the Polish enterprise is still below the minimum threshold for the simultaneous operation of two blast furnaces.
The Polish asset ArcelorMittal announced the suspension of one of the two domains from the end of the month on September 8, 2022 - due to "challenging market conditions and high energy prices". It was planned to bring the blast furnace out of idle time by the end of this year.
The plant's employees fear that the temporary closure may become permanent, as it was at the company's Krakow metallurgical plant several years ago. ArcelorMittal Poland shut down the blast furnace at its Krakow plant in November 2019 and closed it permanently in October 2020.
In an interview with local media, ArcelorMittal Poland's communications manager said he understands employees' concerns, but the blast furnace No3 will certainly be returned to operation before the scheduled overhaul of blast furnace No2. He also noted that the company is not considering a scenario in which two furnaces do not work simultaneously. The restart of Blast Furnace No3 will depend on market conditions, although it is scheduled for early January.
ArcelorMittal Poland's product range includes profiles, rails, fittings for the construction, transport and mining industries, as well as flat products for the automotive industry and household appliances.