Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has restarted blast furnace A at its Gijón plant in Spain following a temporary shutdown caused by a steam explosion, with the unit now operating normally, according to media reports. The incident did not affect customer deliveries or shipments from the site.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday, September 9, as a result of sudden vaporization at the tuyere platform, as SteelOrbis previously reported. According to ArcelorMittal, the damage was limited to structural elements of the taphole platform, while the blast furnace itself was not damaged. No injuries were reported.
Blast furnace B remained operational during shutdown
Following the incident, ArcelorMittal safely shut down blast furnace A to carry out an investigation and repair work. Blast furnace B remained fully operational throughout the outage, limiting the impact on the Gijón plant's ironmaking operations.
The latest incident follows previous operational disruptions at the Gijón plant. In March 2023, blast furnace A was shut down following a fire associated with complications during a routine shutdown procedure. Meanwhile, blast furnace B returned to production in May 2026 after being idled for around six months due to a technical problem.
