Alain Rousset, president of the Regional Council of Aquitaine in southwestern France, recently visited the site on which Italy-based Beltrame's new steel mill will be built, in Tarnos, near Bayonne. During the visit, Beltrame official Alfredo Bottené provided various details about the new project.
The construction of buildings will be completed by the end of 2011, while the start of production has been postponed to the end of 2012. Production will start with an annual output capacity of 250,000 mt of flat steel, increasing after two years to 450,000 mt of steel for the construction and the shipbuilding industries. By the end of 2012, 150 new employees will be hired.
The mill, which will require an investment of €45 million from the Italian company, will use about 800 cubic meters of water per hour, of which only 15 m³ per hour will be consumed, thanks to a water recycling system. Also, the noise emitted by the plant will be minimized through the installation of insulating coatings on the walls of buildings.