The steelmaker ArcelorMittal South Africa ACLJ.J said on Tuesday that it will restart the second blast furnace at its Vanderbijlpark plant in January due to higher demand for steel.
The largest steel producer in Africa, controlled by Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal SA MT.LU, said that demand for steel has increased faster than expected due to closed construction projects currently underway. conclude, increased retail sales and reduced inventory. until national isolation.
The company decided to shut down the blast furnace C in Vanderbijlpark and the arc furnace Vereeniging in July pending demand recovery.
ArcelorMittal South Africa said the kiln restart would add about 600,000 tonnes of additional annual flat steel production, but exports would still be required given current demand expectations for 2021.
In March, South Africa imposed a nationwide lockdown that required stoves and underground mines to temporarily suspend operations. Since then, the government has gradually eased restrictions, allowing the economy to resume and resume production.
