Italian steel producer Marcegaglia has taken a major step toward expanding its steel production capacity by signing an agreement with Italian plantmaker Danieli to begin the engineering phase of the Mistral mini-mill project in Fos-sur-Mer, France. The project marks a significant investment in automated, low-emission steelmaking designed to meet the growing demand for hot rolled coils (HRC).
Project scope and capacity
The new mini-mill will produce up to 2.1 million tons per year of stainless and carbon steel HRC, supplying Marcegaglia’s cold rolling complex in Ravenna, Italy, and meeting around 30 percent of the company’s total HRC demand. Supported by Danieli Automation process control, the Mistral mini-mill is expected to start production by mid-2028.
Key technology features
- Electric steel meltshop: equipped with Danieli’s Fastarc Zerobucket furnace, ECS continuous scrap charging, and Tornado preheating system.
- Process optimization: Q-Melt adaptive process control with autopilot, twin-ladle refining, and twin-tank vacuum degassing for efficiency and quality.
- Casting & rolling: a single-stand caster producing 200–250 mm slabs will feed both the new hot strip mill and the San Giorgio di Nogaro plate mill.
- Flexible production: an integrated Steckel mill and hot strip mill allow seamless switching between stainless and carbon steel slab rolling.
- Sustainability: advanced water and fume treatment systems ensure compliance with strict environmental standards.