With the help of the state, the steelmaist will invest 1.7 billion euros in his factories in Dunkirk and Fos-sur-Mer, two sites that do not account for 25% of industrial gas emissions greenhouse in France.
Le Monde with AFP
The state will help ArcelorMittal to verdir its steel in France. In its Dunkerque (North) and Fos-sur-Mer factories (Bouches-du-Rhône), the steelurgist will close three huts with coal, to replace them with electric ovens and iron reduction techniques based on Hydrogen from 2027. This is an investment of 1.7 billion euros, which will benefit from state aid. These two sites alone account for 25% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions in France.
While the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, is expected on the Dunkerque website Friday, February 4 with the Group’s management, the Government stresses that carbon emissions avoided by this project alone account for 10% of the total emissions. French industrialists.
“It is clearly the largest investment of ArcelorMittal in France since the construction of the two factories of Dunkerque and Fos-sur-Mer, which means a durability for the production of steel in France and Europe”, Told Agence France-Presse Eric Niedziela, President of ArcelorMittal France and Vice President Action Climate of ArcelorMittal Europe.
The group remained evasive on the immediate social consequences of the project. “In the next five years, (…) all around the ecosystem, there will be production of hydrogen and electricity, which will increase employment in the basins in which we invest,” said Mr. Niedziela. ArcelorMittal has passed an agreement with air liquid for the production of hydrogen in Dunkirk.
The group also plans to “evolve” the skills of employees employed on the tools that will stop towards the techniques of electric ovens and gas techniques, indicated Mr. Niedziela.
ArcelorMittal’s investment is part of a $ 10 billion envelope announced worldwide in 2021 by the Group to reduce its carbon footprint. It has already transformed some of its stoves in Spain, Belgium or Canada.
Investment Plan Aid France 2030
The manufacture of the steel is particularly transmitting greenhouse gases. It represents 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions (co 2 ). In issue, charcoal, which is used in two ways to produce steel: to purify iron ore, and to heat up and reach the very high temperatures in the ovens.
A Dunkirk, the steelurgist will build a new factory called “direct reduction”, where charcoal will be replaced by hydrogen to purify the iron ore of its oxygen. This unit will be coupled with an electric oven and another additional electric oven.
A Fos-sur-Mer, ArcelorMittal will install an electric oven allowing it to specialize in recycled steel production, which lowers its carbon dioxide emission rate compared to a new steel. To set up its project, the industrialist will receive public aid from the France 2030 investment plan, and also negotiates with Brussels.
In total, the State will devote an envelope of 5.6 billion euros on the 34 billion France 2030 to help three particularly polluting sectors to emit less co 2 : steel-aluminum , chemistry and cement, according to an innovative attribution mechanism in Europe, said Matignon Thursday night.
