ArcelorMittal to install an EAF in Dunkirk

ArcelorMittal confirms the construction of an electric arc furnace (EAF) at its steelmaking site in Dunkirk – a strategic €1.3 billion investment which marks a major step in the decarbonisation of ArcelorMittal’s steel production in France.

The start‑up of this 2-million-tonne EAF is scheduled for 2029. It will produce steel with three times less CO2 compared with a blast furnace (0.6 tonne CO2 per tonne of steel in the EAF based on a mix of scrap, HBI/DRI and hot metal). Its funding will be supported by Energy Efficiency Certificates (CEE), a regulatory mechanism that promotes energy savings and CO₂ reduction. The amount of support will represent 50% of the €1.3 billion investment.
ArcelorMittal had already announced in January 2024 that it would significantly decarbonize production in Dunkirk and replace both blast furnaces located there with electric arc furnaces.
In its Mardyck plant close to Dunkirk, this quarter ArcelorMittal is also starting up a new electrical steel production unit. With a €500 million investment, this new plant equipped with state‑of‑the‑art technologies represents the group’s largest investment in Europe in the last 10 years, excluding decarbonisation. ArcelorMittal is thus expanding its product offering in Europe to support the electrification of uses in the industrial and automotive sectors.
Source: ArcelorMittal