ArcelorMittal Poland, a subsidiary of Luxembourg steel giant ArcelorMittal, has announced the start of work to prepare blast furnace No. 3 at its Dąbrowa Górnicza plant for a potential restart once market conditions improve.
The furnace was idle in September last year due to difficult market conditions. The company is currently investing almost 60 million zlotys ($16.08 million) in modernization and repair work aimed at extending the life of the furnace by about four years.
According to Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland, the timing of the restart will depend on market developments, but the company aims to have the first hot metal produced in the spring if allowed conditions.
Scope of modernization work
After five months of inactivity, repair work began mainly in the blast furnace bottom area.
The project includes:
- restoration of the furnace bottom using new ceramic materials,
- modernization of the cooling system, key component of the plant,
- repair of worn components,
- comprehensive reconstruction of the supporting structure of the house's cast platform.
The shutdown period allowed for maintenance that would have been difficult to perform during continuous operation of the furnace.
Extending the life of blast furnace No. 3, ArcelorMittal Poland positions
