ArcelorMittal has announced an
investment of more than €300m, with the support of the French government, to
create a new production unit for electrical steels at its Mardyck site in the
north of France. This investment will create more than 100 direct jobs.
With this new unit, which will specialise in the
production of electrical steels for the engines of electric vehicles, all of
the group's electrical steels will be produced in France, strengthening
France’s electromobility sector.
The new production unit, which will be located on the
existing ArcelorMittal site in Mardyck near Dunkirk, will produce the
electrical steels used in electric motors in general (including for industrial
machinery) and for electric and hybrid vehicles in particular.
These steels, which are used in engines in the form of
stacks of very thin layers (0.2 to 0.35 millimeters for the automotive
industry), are characterised by their magnetic and mechanical properties: high
polarisation to maximise engine performance, low losses to promote vehicle
autonomy, and high yield strength to support engine rotation.
The new industrial unit in Mardyck will have a 200 Kt
production capacity and is scheduled to start up in 2024.
''This
project will contribute to our [France's] goal of carbon neutrality in 2050,
while allowing us to strengthen our steel production capacities. It is another
example of our industrial renaissance thanks to the policy of the president of
the republic."
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French minister
delegate for industry
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French minister delegate for
industry commented: “This major investment decision comes one month after the
announcement of the steel decarbonisation project in Dunkirk and Fos, to which
the prime minister gave the state's support. This project will contribute to
our goal of carbon neutrality in 2050, while allowing us to strengthen our
steel production capacities. It is another example of our industrial
renaissance thanks to the policy of the president of the republic."