Liberty Dunaferr restarts rolling mills

Liberty Dunaújváros (Dunaferr) rolling mills, including a hot-dip galvanizing line, have completed their first customer-specific campaign in January.

They are "ready" for their next campaign later this month, the spokesperson adds.

The firm declined to comment on whether the relaunch was designed to make the most of consistent flat steel price increases in Europe over the past few weeks.

The restart of the Dunaújváros rolling mills is the first step in its 100-day program to increase capacity utilization, improve efficiency and prepare for an expected recovery in market demand, according to Hungarian press reports.

The firm plans to begin retraining courses by mid-year to prepare workers for a future transition to electric arc steel production, the reports added.

The remaining operational blast furnace at Dunaujváros is idle, as is blast furnace No. 3 at its Czech sister Ostrava Iron and Steel Works, which is awaiting power, sources said.

Last summer, Liberty and Chinese company CISDI Engineering Co. signed an agreement with the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Development to develop a decarbonization pathway moving Dunaferr from coal-based steel production to EAF technology. A new 150 ton EAF will be installed here and will be supplied by CISDI.