HFX Steelworks Florange: France June 2017

HFX is a huge abandoned steel works in France comprising of three blast furnaces, rolling mill and much more.

I first discovered this site while visiting Bureau Central in 2015. Due to the size and lack of info we were unsure on how dormant the site would be and we gave it a miss. Probably not the best choice.

Fast forward two years making plans for a trip to France with Behind Closed Doors and I mention this place. Turns out he had a look around two weeks before and wanted to go back.

Iron has been produced in the Lorraine area for the past 300 years but production at this site started in 1906 with a blast furnace. As time went on a total of six blast furnaces were running here and a steelworks was added so the conversion of iron to steel could be processed on site.

An upgrade project during the 1970s removed three of the blast furnaces and capacity on the remaining three was increased.

At some point one furnace was idled which left two running. They were finally mothballed in 2011. The owners insisted this was temporary but it caused quite a stir with the employees. The restarting of the furnaces was delayed and eventually it was announced they would be shut down permanently. The government stepped in and fought the decision. They wanted the site to be sold. However they could not find anyone interested in the furnaces.

The main reason for the closure is the pressure to recycle, the reason the plant stayed open for so long was the German car industry. Steel for automobiles wasn't up to standard from recycled materials and only virgin iron was deemed acceptable. Now recycled materials can produce high grade ingots by a process with an electric arc furnace. Another contributing factor is the location and the fact that the output from the furnaces is small. Dunkerque has a much larger capacity and better transportation for raw materials, this makes it a much more financially viable option to be kept in production.

The European steel industry has far more capacity than needed so this will not be the only plant to close. Advancement in technology and cheap steel from Asia will make sure of that.

We arrive on a hot afternoon not the best time but that's how it worked out and with such a vast site we had to get a move on. There was one building we were keen to see, a large brick building with a 1919 headstone above the entrance. Now if there were any vintage goodies this was where they were to be found. So after a wander around the blast furnaces we find ourselves inside. Half of it is empty which I guess would of been the power plant, the other half was fitted with turbo blowers for the blast furnaces, one pair for each furnace. We even found a large control room, sadly we didn't even realise it was a control room at first as it had been converted into portioned offices. From the rear the control room seemed intact sadly false walls covered all the panels which would more than likely be pristine, such a shame as it would of been a fairly big control room.

We venture on in to the steelworks and split up as there was so much to see. I sometimes struggle to shoot in these places as they are so big, but I do love visiting heavy industrial sites. We eventually leave feeling filthy, sweaty, dehydrated and hungry.

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