Investments – within the framework of the Lux2016 plan for maintaining the competitiveness of Luxembourg’s steel industry – are running at six million euros.

Roland Bastian, CEO of ArcelorMittal Belval, said: “The startup of the renewed electric arc furnace mid-April was a complete success.” The old furnace’s production record of 30 batches per day was equalled in May following a short test phase. Thanks to the modernisation, the plant’s production capacity has been increased to one million tonnes of crude steel per year.

The new plant will make a significant contribution to reducing the transformation costs which include all the energy, material and labour costs involved in smelting the scrap metal which is used as raw material. A 15 percent saving in natural gas has been achieved after just one month of operation with the new furnace; it has been possible during this period to reduce the overall energy consumption by approximately three percent. The energy costs alone already account for 40 percent of the costs of steel production in Belval.

The new electrode technology improves the flow of electricity in the furnace thus increasing productivity. A smaller furnace diameter has also increased the thermal utilization factor. The new furnace can now yield 160 tonnes of crude steel per batch (instead of 155 tonnes previously). In addition to this, the maintenance costs have been improved since the new bottom vessel can process twice as many batches as its predecessor before it has to be changed.