According to media reports, ArcelorMittal Spain has closed the etching line at its Avilés plant as part of an 18 million euro modernization program. The shutdown comes amid broader operational issues at the company's facilities in Asturias, including ongoing problems with the restart of blast furnace "B" in Gijón and scheduled maintenance work for sinter plant "A".
The Avilés etching line, which removes oxide scale from hot-rolled steel using dilute hydrochloric acid, will remain offline for three weeks. The €18 million upgrade includes the replacement of hydrochloric acid storage tanks that power the process that processes the rolls coming out of the hot belt.
Ongoing failure of blast furnace "B", causing serious disruptions
This upgrade is part of a broader €168 million investment package announced earlier this year for ArcelorMittal's facilities in Aviles, Gijón, Sagunto, Echabarri and Lesaca. A significant share of the total investment is for the hybrid electric arc furnace project in Gijón, while the reconstruction of the Avilés etching line is a key component of the ongoing downward improvements.
The shutdown will have immediate consequences after the etching line, as the etching line feeds the strip to the tandem mill, quenching mill and tinplate lines in Aviles.
ArcelorMittal has been unable to restart blast furnace "B" in Gijón for two months after a maintenance shutdown during which the installation was damaged several times
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