Seraing blast furnace n°6 to restart (Belgium)

ArcelorMittal announced on February 1, 2008 that it has agreed to a solution proposed by the federal and regional governments of Belgium regarding the CO2 quota allocation issue and will consequently prepare for the relaunch of the Seraing (Liège, Belgium) blast furnace n°6.

The federal and regional governments of Belgium submitted a solution to ArcelorMittal to allow for the restart of the Seraing blast furnace. This solution involves an intervention from the part of the Regional and the Federal governments as well as from the part of the companies. ArcelorMittal has agreed to this and is currently planning the relaunch of the Liège blast furnace with a view to start producing hot steel starting end of February.

Michel Wurth, member of ArcelorMittal’s Group Management Board, in charge of Flat Carbon Europe, Automotive, Plates and R&D, expressed his satisfaction following this proposal. He thanked the authorities who had thus made possible the immediate relaunch of the blast furnace and added that this would definitely strengthen the competitiveness and job situation in Liège and the Walloon Region.