Germany-based Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM), a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG, has permanently shut down blast furnace A at its Duisburg plant after more than 53 years of production, marking another step in the company’s transition toward lower-carbon steelmaking.
The furnace, commissioned in 1973, completed its final tapping on September 19. Over five operating campaigns, blast furnace A produced approximately 93 million mt of pig iron. The closure follows HKM’s recent shutdown of coke oven battery No. 2 at the same site.
HKM plans to replace its conventional blast furnace route with a new electric arc furnace (EAF) from 2029. The EAF will have an annual capacity of up to 2.5 million mt, making it the largest in Germany and the second-largest in the EU. The project is receiving €200 million in public funding, with construction already underway.
During the transition, blast furnace B will continue operating at Duisburg. HKM expects pig iron production to fall from around 4 million mt in 2025 to 3 million mt in 2026, while annual production capacity will stand at up to 2.5 million mt from 2027.
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