JFE to shut BF at its West Japan Works by March 2028

The reduction in blast furnace steelmaking capacity in Japan is set to continue, with JFE Holdings (JFEHD) announcing on May 8 that it intends to permanently close one of the three blast furnaces presently operated by JFE Steel in the Fukuyama area of West Japan Works in Hiroshima prefecture within fiscal 2027 (ending March 2028). The furnace to be stopped will be the No. 4 unit with an inner volume of 5,000 cubic metres.

This and other measures outlined Thursday in its Eighth Medium-Term Business Plan spanning fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2027 will see JFE Steel "transition to a leaner crude steel production capacity" of 21 million tonnes/year in five blast furnaces and one state-of-art electric arc furnace (to begin operating by early