ArcelorMittal : Poland officially inaugurates completion of investment projects in its Kraków unit

Kraków, 10 May 2017

Poland's deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has taken part in an official ceremony to mark the completion of a series of important investment projects at ArcelorMittal Poland's Kraków unit.

Investments exceeding EUR118m (PLN 500m) which were commissioned in 2016, and achieved their operational ramp-up very recently, included the relining of blast furnace no 5, modernization of the basic oxygen furnace, capacity expansion of the hot rolling mill and a new galvanizing line.

The most notable of these investments is the reline of the blast furnace. Completion of this project has allowed the plant a new life for the next 20 years, preserving jobs not only in the Krakow unit, but also in numerous contracting companies as well as industries related to the steel industry, such as mining, gas, energy and transport. Thanks to the modernization, the installation complies with European Union air emission regulations well in advance of the stringent new regulations which will become mandatory from autumn 2018.

'ArcelorMittal's brand promise is 'Transforming tomorrow' and indeed, by investing more than PLN 500m in ArcelorMittal Krakow, we have laid the foundations for the long-term future of the plant, whose future until recently was not so obvious. Thanks to this initiative, the former Huta Sendzimira now has several state-of-the art installations which are among the best in the European steel industry, and which, among other benefits, will also contribute to improving its environmental footprint. Since 2004 we have invested more than PLN3bn in our Krakow unit', said Sanjay Samaddar, chairman of the board at ArcelorMittal Poland. 'We aim to cater to the growing demand of our customers in this region; hence the decision to expand capacity in our plant's downstream operations', Samaddar added.

'Execution of the investment programme, which makes the most of the latest available technologies, will increase innovation of Polish steel industry and will have a positive impact on many sectors connected with the production of steel. In this undertaking there is something equally important: acquiring invaluable experience and cooperation with scientific centers in Poland, including Akademia Górnicza- Hutnicza', said Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's deputy prime minister and minister of development and finance.