According to local press reports in Belgium, on November 16 the world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal started to run tests for the recommissioning of the hot rolling mill at its Chertal plant in Liège, Belgium. The restart of the mill will allow 153 employees to start working again, and ArcelorMittal Liège will no longer depend for the production of coils, supplied by ship or railroad, on the French production site at Dunkerque.
Meanwhile, it is also reported that ArcelorMittal will hold a meeting today, Friday, to relaunch blast furnace B at its Ougrée plant, which is the most suitable blast furnace for a quick recommissioning. However, Etienne Botton, spokesman for ArcelorMittal in Liège, said, "ArcelorMittal is arranging meetings to monitor and to discuss the industrial activities of these sites. As regards Liège, production at the blast furnaces remains temporally suspended, but this does not prevent us from conducting studies to enhance the competitiveness of the hot rolling line. Friday's meeting will be a simple gateway, not a meeting held in order to take a decision."
The plants of ArcelorMittal in Liège are specialized in the production of a wide range of carbon steel flat products for several industrial sectors. The company employs approximately 4,500 people in the Liège region.