ArcelorMittal to reopen blast furnace in France
10 Jan 2013 6:17 AM IST
Top global steelmaker ArcelorMittal plans to reopen later this month a blast furnace at one of its French sites that has been shut down for several months, a union source said on Wednesday.
The second blast furnace at ArcelorMittal's site at Dunkerque, shut down since August, should resume operations on 20 January, said a representative of the CGT union at ArcelorMittal, confirming a report in a local newspaper. 'It is excellent news, even if unfortunately it is connected to the closing of Liege and Florange,' said Philippe Collet. Faced with reduced demand, ArcelorMittal has sought to lower its capacity in low products and has reached a deal with employees at its site in the Belgian city of Liege.
ArcelorMittal dodged in December a threat by the French government to nationalise the company's Florange site over two blast furnaces that the steelmaker says are no longer financially viable.
The second blast furnace at ArcelorMittal's site at Dunkerque, shut down since August, should resume operations on 20 January, said a representative of the CGT union at ArcelorMittal, confirming a report in a local newspaper. 'It is excellent news, even if unfortunately it is connected to the closing of Liege and Florange,' said Philippe Collet. Faced with reduced demand, ArcelorMittal has sought to lower its capacity in low products and has reached a deal with employees at its site in the Belgian city of Liege.
ArcelorMittal dodged in December a threat by the French government to nationalise the company's Florange site over two blast furnaces that the steelmaker says are no longer financially viable.
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