ARCELORMITTAL FOS-SUR-MER INAUGURATES ITS LADLE FURNACE

The installation was inaugurated by Mr Christophe Mirmand, Prefect of Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur Region, Ms Isabelle Campagnola-Savon, President of the Commission for Business, representing Mr Renaud Muselier, President of the Sud Region, and Mr René Raimondi, Mayor of Fos-sur-Mer.

The project was announced in 2021 during a visit by Mr Bruno Le Maire, former French Minister of Economy. Once the ladle furnace is fully commissioned and production is ramped up, the CO2 emissions of the site will be reduced by around 10%.

The ladle furnace is a steel reheating station in which the amount of recycled steel in the finished product will increase up to five times the current volumes. The commissioning of the ladle furnace will reduce the amount of hot metal used by 10% as early as 2025. The new facility includes two ladle stands, each containing more than 330 tons of liquid steel. The liquid steel is heated by three electrodes, to reach the temperature required for the manufacturing process.



(From left to right) François Sgro, CEO ArcelorMittal Méditerranée, René Raimondi, mayor of Fos, Isabelle Campagnola-Savon, representing the Sud region, Christophe Mirmand, region Préfet, Bruno Ribo, former CEO ArcelorMittal Méditerranée

The start-up of the ladle furnace marks an important milestone in the site's decarbonisation journey, which involves a major transformation of the steelmaking process. The two-year construction phase for the ladle furnace was completed in the first quarter of 2024 and the new facility has been undergoing tests since the summer. The ladle furnace represents an investment of €76m, including €15m support from the French government as part of France Relance (now part of France 2030 and operated by ADEME).

More than 150 people including contractors were involved during the peak construction phase.

The Fos-sur-Mer site produces a range of more than 150 grades of steel, a third of which is used in the automotive sector including safety parts, and electrical steels for electric and hybrid car motors. Two-thirds of the grades are steels for industries including construction, agriculture and energy.