ArcelorMittal's Tubarao Blast Furnace to Remain Shut Till End-2019

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The shutdown of blast furnace No. 2 at ArcelorMittal’s Brazilian Tubarao plant has been extended. The shutdown, initially planned for a period of 70 days, is now extended until the end of the current year.

According to Mr. Benjamin Baptista, CEO-Flat Carbon South America, the company has decided to take a slow pace on the blast furnace maintenance works. However, he did not make it clear as to when the furnace will restart operations. Also, he did disclose the reasons behind taking this decision. Baptista was speaking on the sidelines of Brazil Steel Institute Conference held last week.

It must be noted that the Luxembourg-based steel conglomerate had idled the blast furnace 2 at Tubarao steel facility in Brazil in late-June this year, citing poor market conditions. At that time, it had planned restart of furnace operations after 70 days by around mid-August.

Incidentally, the idled blast furnace has a crude steel production capacity of approximately 1.5 million tonnes.