MEPS’s global steel production and capacity round-up

ArcelorMittal’s new Fos-sur-Mer ladle furnace, Feralpi’s billet caster upgrade and Nippon Steel’s decarbonisation plans feature in MEPS International’s October global production and capacity round-up.

The compiled articles, featured below, are drawn from content first published for MEPS subscribers in the October editions of MEPS’s European Steel Review and International Steel Review.

Visit the MEPS website for details of how to subscribe to the monthly reports, which provide subscribers with steel prices, indices, market commentary and forecasts.

Europe

ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal successfully commissioned a new ladle furnace at its Fos-sur-Mer facility in southern France during September. 

The EUR75 million project was first announced in 2021, and the new unit has been undergoing testing since construction was completed in quarter one of this year.

ArcelorMittal expects the installation of the new furnace to increase its use of scrap steel at Fos-sur-Mer five-fold and reduce CO2 emissions at the site by up to 10%. 

Feralpi

The continuous caster at Feralpi’s Lonato plant in Brescia, Italy, has re-entered service after being modernised during the plant’s summer shutdown. 

The upgrade involved the installation of a new tundish exchange system that will reduce changeover time, the company said. The six-strand caster produces 150x150mm billets at a rate of up to 200 tonnes per hour.

GMH Gruppe

Bar manufacturer GMH Gruppe has approved the construction of a second heat treatment line at its main mill in Georgsmarienhütte, near Osnabrück, Germany.

Scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2026, the new facility will process steel bars between 35mm and 100mm in diameter. The company commissioned a similar unit, which handles 20mm to 60mm bars, in February. The two plants will have a combined annual capacity of 35,000 tonnes. 

Asia

Nippon Steel

Nippon Steel has applied for state funding to build new electric arc furnaces at its Kyushu works, as part of its shift away from traditional blast furnaces. 

The Japanese government has set aside USD3.3 billion to support the decarbonisation of the country’s steel industry, targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Nippon, which accounts for nearly half of Japan’s crude steel output and approximately 7% of the country’s CO2 emissions, is applying for a portion of the fund to assist in its transition.

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