Brazilian flat steelmaker Usiminas will resume operations at blast furnace (BF) No.1, located at its facility in Ipatinga on August 26.
Nardyello Rocha, mayor of Ipatinga, indicated through his Instagram handle that President Jair Bolsonaro will join a ceremony to restart Usiminas’ BF #1.
The company suspended operations at BF#1 and 2 at Ipatinga along with its #1 steel mill on April 24, due to the COVID-19 related shutdown. On May 25, Usiminas warned of a sales decline in the short-term due to lower steel consumption, mainly from the automotive industry.
Brazil’s crude steel production increased by 3.5pc to 2.59mn mt in July this year from 2.50mn mt in the same month last year.