Czech steelmaker Třinecké Železárny plans to bring continuous casting machine No. 2 back into service on 15 November, following repairs to damage caused by an incident earlier this month. GMK Center, citing Kallanish, reported that the damage assessment had been completed and work to repair the facility was under way. The planned restart depends on completion of those repairs.
The company declared force majeure after the incident at CCM-2 on 2 October. The outage interrupted the supply of semi-finished billets used to make wire rod and shaped steel at rolling mills C and D. The disruption concerns this part of the production chain rather than the whole plant: according to the report, the CCM-1 bloom caster and the steelmaker’s other rolling mills remain in normal operation, with no restrictions.
To reduce the impact on deliveries, Třinecké Železárny is feeding its rolling mills with square billets held in stock. A company representative said all customers affected by the disruption had been updated on their orders. The steelmaker also intends to give priority to fulfilling affected orders from the second half of November, as part of its efforts to keep possible delays to a minimum.
Separately, GMK Center recalled that the company is seeking greater assistance from the Czech government or the European Union for its decarbonisation programme. Last year, it postponed construction of an electric arc furnace, described in the report as one of the largest investments in its history. The company has not abandoned decarbonisation, but argues that more public support is needed to carry it out.
According to GMK Center, management’s biggest uncertainty is the future of the EU Emissions Trading System. Its key concerns are the level of carbon prices and the timetable for withdrawing free emissions allowances until they are eliminated entirely.