These cuts in production are being carried out in both plants at certain times when the impact of the cost of electricity is greater. The Zumarraga, Etxebarri, Sestao and Lesaka plants will not be affected by this measure.
The decision of the multinational steel company ArcelorMittal of doing “short and selective stops” of production in certain hours due to the high costs of electricity has already been made effective in the Gipuzkoan plants of Olaberria and Bergara. As confirmed by company sources, these stops are already taking place in those moments when the impact of the cost of electricity is greater.
ArcelorMittal Europe’s decision affects only the long products business of the electric steel mills, as is the case of the Olaberria and Bergara plants, classified by the multinational as a single production center and which add 510 workers.
The Olaberria steelworks produces medium sections for construction, while the Bergara mill processes the semi-finished product that arrives from the first and produces light sections for the same sector.
The company has admitted that it has been forced to carry out a “short and selective production pause” in some of its electric arc furnaces in Europe that make some products, generally used in the construction sector.
According to ArcelorMittal, this measure responds to daily changes in energy prices, “which is a great challenge to produce steel at economic costs”, although it does not expect this measure to have a strong impact on the volume of its production or its ability to meet customer demand.
In the Basque Country, ArcelorMittal has four other plants that will not be affected: the of Zumarraga, who distributes junk; that of Etxebarri, that produces tin and sheet metal; that of Sestao, that, despite being an electric steel mill, it manufactures flat products (specifically hot rolled coil); and the plant Lesaka, which produces galvanized and pre-lacquered products.
The decision will not affect the Asturian plants in Gijón and Avilés, which have about 5,000 workers, the bulk of the multinational’s workforce in Spain, which amounts to almost 8,000 employees.
Apart from those of the Basque Country and Asturias, the rest of the plants that the company has in Spain are located in Pedrola (Aragon), Sagunto (Valencia) and Villaverde (Madrid).
ArcelorMittal produces around 40 million tonnes of steel per year in Europe, of which 10 are for the construction sector.
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