ArcelorMittal Poland, a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based steel giant ArcelorMittal, has announced that it has begun works to prepare blast furnace No.3 at its Dąbrowa Górnicza plant for a potential restart once market conditions improve.
The furnace was idled in September last year due to difficult market conditions. The company is now investing nearly PLN 60 million ($16.08 million) in upgrade and refurbishment works aimed at extending the furnace’s operating campaign by approximately four years.
According to Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland, the timing of the restart will depend on market developments, but the company is aiming for the first hot metal to be produced as early as spring if conditions allow.
Scope of modernization works
After five months of downtime, refurbishment works have begun primarily in the hearth area of the blast furnace.
The project includes:
- rebuilding the furnace hearth using new ceramic materials,
- modernizing the cooling system, a key component of the installation,
- repairing worn components,
- comprehensive renovation of the supporting structure of the cast house platform.
The shutdown period has enabled maintenance activities that would have been difficult to carry out during continuous furnace operation.
By extending the campaign life of blast furnace No.3, ArcelorMittal Poland is positioning itself to ramp up production when steel market conditions improve.
The investment reflects cautious optimism in the Polish and European steel markets while maintaining operational flexibility amid ongoing demand volatility.