Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has stopped its blast furnace A (BF A) at Gijon in northern Spain after a burst water pipe caused a steam explosion, the company told Argus.
It said there were no injuries and that material damage was limited, with no impact on the furnace itself.
The explosion, which happened on Wednesday morning, was possibly caused by a confinement of water/steam in a beam that supports the floor of the tuyeres platform, the company said.
BF A has been stopped while investigations and repairs are under way. The company said it expects BF A to be restarted on 12 September, meaning a total stoppage of three days.
Its other blast furnace at Gijon continues to operate as normal.
While some customers have complained of delays to Spanish orders, the company said that any tentative delay in its supplies was unrelated and refused to comment further.
The Gijon plant has a crude steel production capacity of about 5mn t/yr.
