According to local sources, ArcelorMittal restarted blast furnace No. 1 at its Fos-sur-Mer site in France, near Marseille, which was idled on March 23 this year due to reduced demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, last week ArcelorMittal reactivated its blast furnace No. 3 in Bremen, Germany, which was idled in October last year. Both restarts are due to the recent increase of demand and steel prices, but are also aimed to compensate for the absence of furnace B at ArcelorMittal Ghent in Belgium, where a relining is being carried on.
Fos-sur-Mer's blast furnace No. 1 has a capacity of about 1.2 million mt per year, while the furnace in Ghent has a capacity of 2.3 million mt per year.
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices have been trending up in the European market since the end of June, increasing by about €100/mt in the past three months.