Nippon Steel, Japan's largest steel producer, stopped operation of the Muroran blast furnace in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido today due to a fire.
Early on the morning of December 1, a fire engulfed the Muroran steel mill blast furnace, which is part of the blast furnace. - said the company. The fire has been extinguished, but Nippon Steel is not sure when it will be able to resume operation of the blast furnace.
Nippon Steel operates one blast furnace at the Muroran Steel Mill. The capacity of the steel mill is 1.24 million tons of steel per year. The plant mainly produces steel products for car manufacturers.
The company resumed normal operation of the Muroran blast furnace only at the end of November, after eliminating the leakage of steelmaking slag in September.
The demand for steel in Japan in October-December amounted to 20.23 million tons, which is 2.4% lower than in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the country. Demand from the construction sector is expected to decline due to rising material costs and labor shortages, while a recovery in demand from automakers is also unlikely, according to Meti.
