Four months after announcing the agreement for its construction, ArcelorMittal Asturias has confirmed the imminent start of work on a new electric arc furnace at its Gijón plant. The British-Indian company has signed a contract with the industrial engineering company Sarralle, which will be responsible for the construction of this infrastructure from the beginning of next year.

The electric furnace project is part of ArcelorMittal's plan to decarbonise its operations in Spain. This is in line with ArcelorMittal Europe's commitment to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 35% by 2030. Sarralle, based in Azpeitia (Guipúzcoa), will contribute its more than 55 years of experience in international projects.

Low-emission steel
The new furnace will have an annual production capacity of 1.1 million tonnes and is scheduled to come on stream in the fourth quarter of 2025. It will enable the production of low-carbon steel for the long products sector, in particular for the production of rails and wire rod, for which demand is expected to grow.

The company believes that this operation will put the plant in a more competitive position, particularly in relation to sectors with strict carbon footprint criteria that have contracts with the public sector. As an alternative to the existing blast furnaces, Sarralle will equip the new electric furnace with a dust collection system and a waste heat recovery system to maximise its energy efficiency.

Decarbonisation programme
Philippe Meyran, CEO of ArcelorMittal Asturias, explained, “This is an important part of the decarbonisation programme in the company's steel activities in Spain. We would therefore like to thank all the parties involved for their continued cooperation on this project.”

Sarralle CEO Elias Gonzalez said this is “a very special project for us”, adding that, “This is the first decarbonisation project in Spain to be carried out with Spanish technology. It is an extremely important step for the future of the steel industry in Spain, which is focused on products with very high added value.”

Meanwhile, Jordi Torné, CEO of Long Products at ArcelorMittal Asturias, confirmed that this project places his division “at the forefront of decarbonisation”, pointing out that, “The installation of this cutting-edge technology will allow us to produce high value-added wire rod and reinforcing bars, consolidating a sustainable future for our activity with a process that incorporates the highest safety standards.”

^{Photo: ArcelorMittal}