ArcelorMittal Poland, subsidiary of global steel producer ArcelorMittal, has announced that it will restart preparations for the relining of its blast furnace No. 5 in Krakow, which is coming to the end of its lifecycle in mid-2016. Total investments in the primary operations at the Krakow plant will amount to over €40 million, also including the modernization of the basic oxygen furnace No. 3. Additional projects in the downstream operations will also be implemented, with the company planning to increase its hot rolling mill capacity by 900,000 metric tons per year and its hot dip galvanizing capacity by almost 400,000 metric tons per year. The investment in these two projects will exceed €90 million. In total, the group will invest over €130 million in its operations in Krakow, including both upstream and downstream installations.
“With these investments, ArcelorMittal Europe confirms the strategic importance of the central and eastern European market, in which the Krakow plant is the center of flat products operations in Poland. We aim to cater to the growing demand of our customers; hence, the decision on capacity extension in the downstream operations of our plant in Krakow,” commented Sanjay Samaddar, chairman of ArcelorMittal Poland.