1. ArcelorMittal
In September 2011, ArcelorMittal said it would soon be turning on a blast furnace in Fos Sur Mer in France. The furnace was idled in December 2010 for repairs.

On October 5th 2011, the company said it expected to return to pre crisis production levels sooner than previously thought in 2011, with a further boost seen for 2012.

2. Metinvest
On December 6th 2011, Ukraine's biggest steel producer Metinvest said it planned to invest about USD 1 billion in its Yenakiyeve Iron and Steel Works to boost the plant's annual output to 4.5 million tonnes from the current level of 2.7 million.

Metinvest also said it had opened a new blast furnace at Yenakiyeve in eastern Ukraine, which would increase pig iron production to 3.0 million tonnes per year from 1.8 million.

3. Riva Group
The company restarted blast furnace number 4 at its Ilva plant in Taranto in Italy in April 2011. It had been shut down three years earlier. It is also planning to restart this month the strip mill number 1, which was idled in October 2011 due to a slight pick up in demand.

With four out of its five blast furnaces currently active, Ilva is now running at near full capacity of 11.5 million tonnes per year.

Riva Group was the world's 17th largest steelmaker in 2010 with production of 14 million tonnes.

4. Sahaviriya Steel
Thailand's Sahaviriya Steel Industries had initially said it would restart the Teesside Cast Products integrated mill in northeast England in December 2011.

It says the restart will be postponed to an unspecified date as some works still have to be completed due to factors such as unfavorable weather and industrial action. The plant has annual steel slab production capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per year.

SSI bought the Teesside operation from TATA Steel in February 2011. It was moth balled in early 2010 after a consortium of off takers withdrew from a 10 year supply agreement.

(Sourced from www.reuters.com)