Thyssenkrupp is shutting down blast furnace No. 2 in Duisburg for maintenance

The German steel manufacturer Thyssenkrupp Steel has announced a scheduled shutdown of blast furnace No. 2 at its Duisburg plant to carry out partial repairs. This is stated in the company’s press release.

The repair work will take approximately six weeks; the unit was taken out of service on 30 August. It is noted that this measure will improve the stability of pig iron production. The work will be planned in such a way as to minimise disruption to local residents.

During the partial overhaul of the furnace, the cooling systems and refractory lining will be upgraded. At the same time, additional maintenance work will be carried out on auxiliary equipment, in particular the gas cleaning and slag granulation systems. These measures are intended to improve the blast furnace’s technical readiness and ensure its reliable operation in the coming years.

Blast furnace No. 2 was commissioned in October 1993. According to Thyssenkrupp Steel, with a daily pig iron production capacity of approximately 12,000 tonnes and a furnace diameter of 14.9 metres, it is the largest blast furnace in Europe.

It should be noted that the Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM) steelworks, owned by Salzgitter, is preparing to resume operations at blast furnace B following the completion of scheduled maintenance. The overhaul of the unit, which has an annual capacity of 2.7 million tonnes of pig iron, began at the end of May 2026.