ArcelorMittal Poland will temporarily idle blast furnace no. 3 at its Dabrowa Gornicza site starting September 2025, citing deteriorating market conditions that have made operating two blast furnaces economically unfeasible.
The company pointed to a combination of high energy costs, EU-only CO2 emissions trading obligations, weak trade safeguards, and a surge in low-priced imports, which have significantly impacted margins. According to CEO Wojciech Koszuta, these are among the toughest conditions the company has faced in years.
Tomasz Plaskura, CMO for Central and Eastern Europe, noted that imports now cover 80pct of Poland’s apparent steel consumption, with flat products like hot-rolled coil reaching 95pct. Import volumes are rising sharply from Ukraine and Serbia, as well as from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan.
Preparations for the safe shutdown are already underway and will take several weeks. The company says it will monitor market developments closely and resume operations when conditions improve.
Blast furnace no. 3 was last idled in October 2022 and restarted in January 2023.
ArcelorMittal Poland is the country’s largest steelmaker, supplying long, flat, special, and semi-finished products to sectors including construction, transport, and home appliances.
