German steel manufacturer Salzgitter restarts A blast furnace

On January 3, 2024, German steel manufacturer Salzgitter restarted the A blast furnace after a 100 day blast furnace lining update. The annual production capacity of the blast furnace is 2 million tons of pig iron. This update of the furnace lining is to ensure stable pig iron supply during the transformation process of low-carbon steelmaking S450GD+Z steel in 2033. It is reported that the renewal of the furnace lining used 3000 tons of carbon bricks and other refractory materials, with a cost of 100 million euros (equivalent to 109 million US dollars).

Salzgit stated that the A blast furnace has entered its final production cycle. The A blast furnace was put into operation in 1977, and the lining has been replaced multiple times since then. Salzgit's low-carbon steel project Salcos aims to transform a comprehensive steelmaking plant into a low-carbon crude steel plant by 2033, gradually replacing traditional blast furnace methods with direct iron reduction and electric arc furnace production processes. At present, the Peine production line of the Peiner Trader steel plant affiliated with Salzgit uses electric arc furnace smelting to provide customers with low-carbon emission hot rolling Volume S450GD+Z steel.

Due to improved market conditions, the smelting business in Europe is recovering. Many steel mills, including ArcelorMittal Bremen, ArcelorMittal Ghent, as well as Liberty Galati and Liberty Ostrava, that have shut down their blast furnaces and converters due to maintenance or profitability, plan to restart their steelmaking equipment in the first quarter S450GD+Z steel.