ArcelorMittal will invest 1.8 billion euros, with state aid, to decarbonize its Dunkirk site

The factory is one of the fifty industrial sites that emit the most greenhouse gases in France.

Bruno Le Maire announced, Sunday January 14, that the steel group ArcelorMittal planned to invest 1.8 billion euros in the decarbonization of its site steel production from Dunkirk (North). According to the Minister of the Economy, this should make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions from the industrial sector in France by almost 6%, while the factory is one of the fifty industrial sites that emit the most greenhouse gases in the country. . The State will provide aid, validated by the European Union, which could go up to 850 million euros depending on the investments actually made, Bercy said.

Emmanuel Macron greeted “a historic agreement” enabled by the France 2030 plan dedicated to innovation. “Ultimately, more than 1% of our CO2 emissions will be eliminated”, he congratulated himself in a message on the LinkedIn network. The money released by the company and the State will make it possible to build two electric furnaces as well as a direct iron reduction unit, the first step in producing carbon-free steel.

These installations running on electricity and gas, and eventually hydrogen, will replace furnaces running on coal, which should make it possible to reduce the site’s CO2 emissions by 4.4 million tonnes per year. The investments have not yet been completely validated by ArcelorMittal but the company is currently carrying out the final studies, Bercy said. The furnaces and direct iron reduction unit are expected to start operating in 2027.

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