ArcelorMittal said it would temporarily stop Blast Furnace A at its Asturias site in northern Spain on 7 May, after most of its customers suspended production because of the coronavirus pandemic. The furnace has annual capacity of about 2.7 million tonnes, within a site total of roughly 4.2 million tonnes. The company also suspended its electric arc furnace at Sestao and a coating line at Lesaka, while keeping its Olaberria-Bergara lines running for the time being. The move showed how quickly the shutdown of car plants and other steel users in Europe was feeding back to mills. Spain's steel association was at the same time seeking clarification from the government on which industrial activities counted as essential under the tighter lockdown rules, leaving producers unsure how long the stoppages would last.
Source: EUROMETAL — https://eurometal.net/arcelormittal-to-halt-blast-furnace-in-spains-asturias-as-steel-industry-seeks-lockdown-clarity/
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