ArcelorMittal Bremen steel plant

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ArcelorMittal Bremen steel plant, also known as Klöckner Hütte Bremen (predecessor), Stahlwerke Bremen (predecessor), Norddeutsche Hütte (predecessor), Einheitliche Anlage Bremen, is a steel plant in Bremen, Germany that operates blast furnace (BF), basic oxygen furnace (BOF), direct reduced iron (DRI), and electric arc furnace (EAF) technology.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Bremen, Germany:

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  • Location: Carl-Benz-Strasse 30, D-28237 Bremen, Germany
  • Coordinates (WGS 84): 53.133305, 8.688193 (exact)

Background

History

Norddeutsche Hütte (1911-1945)

In 1911, an ironworks called Norddeutsche Hütte was established on the site.[1] On April 2, 1911 the first of two blast furnaces built became operational.[1] Other initially built facilities included 80 coke ovens with associated ammonia and tar plants.[1] By 1912 a (slag) cement plant, benzene plant, third blast furnace, and a further 40 coke ovens had been installed; additionally coke gas was supplied to the Bremen region.[1]

In 1922 the Stumm group (Saar) became a major shareholder; after 1927 Krupp became the major shareholder.[1] During the Great Depression two blast furnaces and the cement plant were idled until they were restarted in 1935 and 1937/8.[1] As part of economic policy toward self-sufficiency under Nazi Germany a steel production plant was added, and ferrovanadium production began.[1] During the Second World War the workforce reached 1500, of which half were forced labourers.[1]

Bombing of Bremen in World War II practically ended production at the plant by 1945.[1] As part of reparations after the war, the vanadium plant was shipped to France.[1] The blast furnaces were demolished in 1949, whilst the coking plant was retained, due to its necessity in supplying Bremen with gas.[1] The cement plant was also retained for rebuilding work, supplied with bricks from destroyed buildings.[1]

1954-present

In 1954 Klöckner took over the Norddeutsche Hütte.[1] The first stage of redevelopment was completed in 1957 at a cost of 400 million Deutschmarks, giving a capacity of 600,000 tons steel per annum.[2] Facilities included three open hearth steelmaking furnaces, a hot rolling mill for coil and sheets, and a tinplate plant.[2] In 1960 the board at Klöckner authorised a second phase (200 million Deutschmarks) to increase capacity to 1 million tons.[2] In 1960 the ultimate aim was to develop the site as a full steel mill with a production capacity of 4 to 5 million tons of steel pa.[2] Second and third blast furnaces were completed in the mid-1960s and early-1970s respectively;[3] Linz-Donawitz process steel making converters were added in 1968 at a cost of 92 million Deutschmarks.[4] A galvanising line called BREGAL (Bremer Galvanisierungs GmbH) was authorised in 1991, as a joint venture between Klöckner, Ägäis Stahlhandel and Rautaruukki.[5][6]

In July 1994, an altered consortium incorporating private steel firm Sidmar (25% stake) was given permission by the European Commission to acquire the business.[7] Blast furnace No. 3 was permanently closed in 1994, reducing production capacity by 500,000 tons pa.[8] In 1994 Sidmar acquired a controlling stake (51%) in the company.[9][10]

In 2002 the company became part of Arcelor through the merger of its parent and in 2006 the company was renamed Arcelor Bremen GmbH.[11] In 2007 the company became part of ArcelorMittal through merger of the parent holding company.[11]

From October 2019 to September 2020, the plant was idled, with the reopening delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[12]

In October 2020, ArcelorMittal announced plans to install an 12 MW electrolyser at the ArcelorMittal Bremen steel plant, which will allow hydrogen to be produced and injected in large volumes into the blast furnace, reducing the volumes of coal needed in the iron ore reduction process.[13] In January 2022, they received $10 million in funding to build the electrolyser.[14]

In March 2021, ArcelorMittal announced it was also planning to build a direct reduced iron (DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) plant at the Bremen site to further green their operations, for an estimated €1-1.5 billion investment, in line with the company's goal to produce carbon-neutral steel by 2050.[15] They plan to phase out the plant's BF-BOF capacity by 2030.[16][17] The company is currently converting one blast furnace at the Bremen plant to inject natural gas instead of coal in the iron ore reduction process thereby reducing CO2 emissions.[15] The DRI-EAF plants will be set up by 2026.[18]

In 2023, several female employees reported harassment at the Bremen site.[19]

In June, 2025, ArcelorMittal announced it would be cancelling its plans to build a DRI and EAF production line at the Bremen site due to lack of funding.[20] The company had previously recieved approval from the European Commission for 1.3 billion in funding to build a DRI plant and 3 EAFs across the Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt sites.[21] However, the company turned down the funding, citing high energy costs and competition causing uncertainty in the the future financial picture of the project.[22]

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Low-emissions/green steelmaking

This steel plant is associated with a green steel project tracked in the Green Steel Tracker. Details about the project are included below.

Table 1: Green Steel Project Details

All references for the above data are available in the Green Steel Tracker.
Project 1 Project 2
Project name HyBit Bremen ArcelorMittal Bremen DRI (Steel4Future)
Company ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal
Company has climate goals? Yes Yes
Location Bremen, Germany Bremen, Germany
Project website Site Not available
Project scale Full scale Full scale
Project status Construction Cancelled
Technology to be used H2 Production NG-DRI to H-DRI
Technology details Conceptual H2 production Initially natural gas for the DRI, and later hydrogen from electrolysis
Iron production capacity (million tonnes per year) Not applicable Not stated
Steel production capacity (million tonnes per year) Not applicable 1
CO2 capture (million tonnes CO2 per year) Not applicable Not applicable
Hydrogen generation capacity (MW) 10 Not stated
Investment size (m USD) 33.89 0.75
Partners EWE AG –
Date of announcement 7/8/2020 3/5/2021

Plant Details

Table 2: General Plant Details

Start date Workforce size Power source Coal source
1957[23] 3100[24] WindSeeG project[25] Prosper-Haniel Mine[26]

Table 3: Ownership and Parent Company Information

Parent company Parent company PermID Parent GEM entity ID Owner Owner company PermID Owner GEM entity ID
ArcelorMittal SA [100.0%] 5000030092 [100.0%] E100000000687 [100.0%] ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH [100%][27] 5000040557 E100001000494 [100%]

Table 4: Process and Products

Steel product category Steel products Steel sector end users ISO 14001 ISO 50001 Responsible steel Main production equipment
finished rolled[27] cold rolled, coil, coated, hot rolled, galvanized[27] automotive, building and infrastructure, energy, steel packaging, tools and machinery, transport[28] 2024-08-25[29] 2024-08-25[30] 2027-07-18[31][32] BF; DRI; BOF; EAF

Table 5: Plant-level Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Basic oxygen furnace steelmaking capacity Electric arc furnace steelmaking capacity Nominal crude steel capacity (total)
cancelled – 1400[24][33] 1400[24][33]
operating 3960[34] – 3960[34]

Table 6: Plant-level Crude Iron Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Blast furnace capacity Sponge iron/DRI capacity Nominal iron capacity (total)
cancelled – 2000[35] 2000[35]
operating 3900[36] – 3900[36]

Table 7: Upstream Products Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

Ferronickel Sinter Coke Pellets
NF 2100[37] 2000[37] NF

Table 8: Actual Plant-level Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year BOF production Total (all routes)
2019 3100[38] 3100[38]
2020 2800[39] 2800[39]
2021 3300[40] 3300[40]
2022 3100[40][41] 3100[40][41]
2023 2900[42] 2900[42]
2024 3100[43] 3100[43]

Table 9: Actual Plant-level Crude Iron Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year BF production Other/unknown iron production
2019 unknown unknown
2020 unknown unknown
2021 unknown unknown
2022 unknown unknown
2023 unknown –
2024 unknown –

Unit Details

Table 10: Blast Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Current size Current capacity (ttpa) Decarbonization technology Most recent relining
BF 2 operating[44] 1973[45] Saint-Gobain (parts)[46] 3143.0[45] 2500[36] unknown 2023-11-01[47]
BF 3 operating[44] 1966[48] – 1560.0[45] 1400[36] unknown 2023-10-09[47]

Table 11: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Details

Unit name Status Retired date Furnace type Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown DRI (1) cancelled[49] 2025-05[49] shaft furnace[50] 2000[35]

Table 12: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Reductant Details

Unit name Current or initial reductant Gas reductant Hydrogen reductant status Future hydrogen reductant color
unknown DRI (1) gas[50] syngas (reformed methane)[50] capable green[51]

Table 13: Electric Arc Furnace Details

Unit name Status Retired date Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown EAF (1) cancelled[49] 2025-05[49] 1400[33][24]

Table 14: Electric Arc Furnace Feedstock Details

Unit name Scrap-based % scrap % DRI % HBI % sponge iron (unknown if DRI or HBI) % basic/merchant pig iron % granulated pig iron % pig iron (unknown if basic/merchant or granulated) % other iron
unknown EAF (1) None unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown

Table 15: Basic Oxygen Furnace Details

Unit name Status Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown BOF (1) operating[52][53] 1980[34]
unknown BOF (2) operating[27][53] 1980[34]

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of steel plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Iron and Steel Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Hemmer, Eike; Meyerholz, Horst; Tech, Daniel, eds. (29 March 2011), Dokumentation 100 Jahre Hochöfen an der Weser (PDF) (in German)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Topf, Erwin (20 May 1960), "Die Hütte an der Weser", www.zeit.de (in German)
  3. ↑ Knief, Alexandra (28 January 2016), "Die Geschichte der Bremer Stahlproduktion", www.weser-kurier.de (in German)
  4. ↑ Stahl, 1969, vol. 34, pp. 94
  5. ↑ "Klockner and Rautaruukki", Bulletin of the European Communities, vol. 24 (1–6): pp. 16, 1991
  6. ↑ "The Commission authorises the Creation by Kloeckner Stahl, Aegaeis Stahlhandel and Rautaruukki (Germany) of a joint venture, BREGAL GMBH", europa.eu, May 7, 1991
  7. ↑ "Commission Initiates Proceedings in Respect of Aid to Kloeckner", europa.eu, Jan. 26, 1994
  8. ↑ "Commission Decides that Proceedings Against Kloeckner Stahl GMBH Are to Be Terminated", europa.eu, 27 July 1994
  9. ↑ "Commission Approves Purchase of Additional Shares vy Sidmar NV in Kloecknerstahl GMBH", europa.eu, 10 January 1995
  10. ↑ "Commission Accepts Promise to Close ARBED Rolling Mill in Place of Earlier Closure Commitment by Klöckner Stahl", europa.eu, 27 July 1994
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Unsere Geschichte", bremen.arcelormittal.com, Retrieved on: April 7, 2016
  12. ↑ "ArcelorMittal Bremen restarts blast furnace". EUROMETAL. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  13. ↑ ArcelorMittal Europe to produce ’green steel’ starting in 2020, ArcelorMittal, Oct. 13, 2020
  14. ↑ "ArcelorMittal Bremen receives $10M funding for Hybit hydrogen project". H2 Bulletin. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "ArcelorMittal plans major investment in German sites, to accelerate CO2 emissions reduction strategy and leverage the hydrogen grid | ArcelorMittal". ArcelorMittal. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2022-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ "ArcelorMittal receives funding from Bremen state for hydrogen project". www.steelorbis.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  17. ↑ "ArcelorMittal plans DRI-EAF plants for Bremen and Eisenhuttenstadt". Steel Times International. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  18. ↑ Fries, Jürgen (07 October, 2022). "H2 for Bremen's Industrial Transformation" (PDF). Germany Works. Retrieved 11 October, 2023. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ↑ "Harassment has no place in a ResponsibleSteel-certified site: Jana Loos on ArcelorMittal Bremen's zero tolerance for harassment". responsiblesteel.org. April 19, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ↑ Weigh, Paul (June 19, 2025). "ArcelorMittal Europe urges faster implementation of Steel and Metals Action Plan". corporate.arcelormittal.com. Retrieved November 3rd, 2025. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "Commission approves €1.3 billion German State aid measure funded under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support ArcelorMittal decarbonise its steel production". ec.europa.eu. February 22nd, 2025. Retrieved November 3rd, 2025. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ↑ Pitel, Laura; Hancock, Alice (June 20, 2025). "ArcelorMittal ditches plan to convert German factories to green production". Financial Times.
  23. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20211223145434/https://bremen.arcelormittal.com/icc/arcelor-bremen-de/broker.jsp?uMen. Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230528002848/https://germanyworks.com/fileadmin/webinars/downloads/221007_HY5_DigitalBriefing_ArcelorMittal_JuergenFries.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220929002600/https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/news-articles/rwe-and-arcelormittal-intend-to-jointly-build-and-operate-offshore-wind-farms-and-hydrogen-facilities-for-low-emissions-steelmaking-1/. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20200719070003/https://prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/atoms/files/myb3-2015-gm.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20220319000344/https://flateurope.arcelormittal.com/ourmills/705/bremen. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220716103851/https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/. Archived from the original on 2022-07-16. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ https://germany.arcelormittal.com/icc/arcelor/binarywriterservlet?imgUid=bd960d52-8cca-4491-52c3-24e1953d959f&uBasVariant=11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ https://germany.arcelormittal.com/icc/arcelor/binarywriterservlet?imgUid=1e960d52-8cca-4491-52c3-24e1953d959f&uBasVariant=11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ↑ https://germany.arcelormittal.com/icc/arcelor/binarywriterservlet?imgUid=73f2ce70-4cb3-691c-7bfa-603189f5972d&uBasVariant=11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ↑ (PDF) https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/653ed7060b01292cd4518d0e/6825d2ff5f44fefe60e589cd_ResponsibleSteel_CertSite_Certificate_AM%20Bremen_24_draft%20(2)-combined%20(1).pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220815043210/https://www.steeltimesint.com/news/arcelormittal-plans-dri-eaf-plants-for-bremen-and-eisenhuttenstadt. Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 "Map of EU steel production sites" (PDF). Eurofer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-18.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230128060134/https://corporate-media.arcelormittal.com/media/ob3lpdom/car_2.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-01-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 (PDF) https://view.argusmedia.com/rs/584-BUW-606/images/MET-Sample-Report-Argus%20Ferrous%20Markets%20%282023-11-30%29.pdf?version=0. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220922003449/https://storagearcelormittalprod.blob.core.windows.net/media/pevb5bum/arcelormittal_fb2014.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-09-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Fact Book 2019" (PDF). ArcelorMittal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-03.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220129220418/https://corporate-media.arcelormittal.com/media/kl3iewkk/fact-book-2020.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 (PDF) https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/3z1ozw5h/arcelor-mittal-fact-book-2021.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "Fact Book 2022" (PDF). ArcelorMittal. 2023-04-25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-10-29.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 (PDF) https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/zsmpkwx2/arcelormittal-factbook-2023-web_interactive_april-30th.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 (PDF) https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/ckmb2xti/arcelormittal-factbook-2024.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20221005164342/https://eurometal.net/arcelormittal-postpones-shutdown-of-bremen-blast-furnace-looks-to-reduce-output-at-site/. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/3827133/programme-metec-insteelcon2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  46. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20221128015619/https://www.ceramicsrefractories.saint-gobain.com/sites/hps-mac3-cma-pcr/files/assetbank_media/Iron---Steel-Blast-Furnace-brochure-2022-web-2274441.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-11-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240906205308/https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-news/latest-news/arcelormittal-bremen-to-shut-down-bfs-nos-2-and-3-for-maintenance-1307440.htm. Archived from the original on 2024-09-06. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220808155929/https://www.viktormacha.com/galerie/arcelormittal-bremen-bremen/blast-furnace-no2-43.html. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/news-articles/arcelormittal-europe-urges-faster-implementation-of-steel-and-metals-action-plan. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/media/news-articles/arcelormittal-plans-major-investment-in-german-sites-to-accelerate-co2-emissions-reduction-strategy-and-leverage-the-hydrogen-grid. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  51. ↑ "ArcelorMittal – Smarter steels for people and planet - Nächster Meilenstein im Wasserstoff-Projekt HyBit: Elektrolyseur erfolgreich angeliefert". germany.arcelormittal.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  52. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20211228144903/https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-news/latest-news/arcelormittal-receives-funding-from-bremen-state-for-hydrogen-project-1227965.htm. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240903170641/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_1009. Archived from the original on 2024-09-03. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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