Florange Steelworks (HFX) Known for extreme security, we were told not to go there due to heavy security lately. Motion detectors were even installed in Blast Furnace P6. That's why we decided to skip this blast furnace.

HFX

The Blast Furnaces

The leftmost blast furnace is P6, the middle one (the oldest) is P4 and the right one is P3 The six blast furnaces (numbered P1 to P6) were constructed between 1907 and 1913. A period of modernisation led to three of the furnaces (P3, P4 and P6) being remodelled on an American design between 1952 and 1960, and then being extensively rebuilt with higher capacities between 1973 and 1978.

The Blast Furnaces

Blast Furnace P3

We first decided to explore the whole of P3. We walked around the grounds for a total of 4 hours and still didn't see everything. But due to the heavy security, we didn't want to hang around this area for too long.

Blast Furnace P3

Blast Furnace P4

In 1993 furnace P4 was ‘cocooned’, but never restarted, and production on site stopped completely in 2012 with the ‘mothballing’ of the remaining two furnaces P3 and P6. However, the decision to permanently close the site came on 30 November 2012.

Blast Furnace P4

Control Room

The control room was still in good condition with its screens and all other equipment was still present.

Drone shots