Primary steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has decided to restart Blast Furnace C at its Vanderbijlpark Works operations since steel demand has progressively recovered in the last two months.
This follows after the company had put the furnace on idle in July amid low demand.
The company says an increase in steel demand is evident, resulting from construction projects starting up again and retail outlets responding to higher demand.
Responding to the increased demand, the company has taken the decision to restart Blast Furnace C in January 2021, which will add around 600 000 t of additional annual flat steel production volumes.
The additional volumes are the minimum that can be added through the restart of Blast Furnace C and, given the current demand expectations for 2021, exports will be required for certain of the additional volumes.
“This restart will no doubt provide the necessary support to the local industry,” AMSA says.