News
Engineering France’s first large-scale, low-carbon steel plant in Fos-sur-Mer
Tractebel, an international engineering and consulting company, and NPT AG, a global consulting firm specialised in the steel industry, have been awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) contract for Marcegaglia’s Mistral Project, which aims to build a low-carbon steel plant in Fos-sur-Mer, Southern France.
Image: ©Marcegaglia
Tractebel will deliver full EPCM services for the steel plant’s construction part, while NPT AG brings its specialized consulting and engineering expertise in steel melting, metallurgical treatment, casting, and rolling.
A sustainable project
The project will reduce CO₂ emissions from steel production by 80%, compared to a conventional site incorporating blast furnaces and converters, and create 400 direct jobs, with no public subsidies.
It involves the construction of a new electric arc furnace mini-mill, charged by recycled scrap metal and hot briquetted iron (HBI), producing 2 million tonnes of low-carbon steel per year. The site will also continue producing around 150,000 tonnes of special steels at its existing melting and ingot casting facilities, making it one of the most advanced integrated steel facilities in Europe and the first new greenfield melting facility of the Marcegaglia Group.
Complex project management
The Mistral Project will kick off immediately. The construction is expected to start in late 2026, with production scheduled to begin in mid-2028.
Tractebel will leverage its multidisciplinary engineering competences to carry out this complex project by mobilising its Complex Project Management team based in Marseille. Our experts will provide engineering services, including the design of the receiving electrical substation and the water treatment package.
Pictures: (1) from left to right: Thierno Kasse (Tractebel), Bernard Villemin (NPT), Julien Denègre (Tractebel), Antonio et Emma Marcegaglia, Thomas Narholz (NPT) and Riccardo Pasinato (NPT); (2 and 3) Marcegaglia site in Fos-sur-Mer (© Marcegaglia)
With over 150 years of experience in gas, energy, and nuclear engineering, Tractebel brings the cross-sector engineering expertise needed to deliver this complex project successfully. From energy systems to industrial infrastructure, our multidisciplinary teams are ready to support Marcegaglia in building one of France’s most advanced low-carbon steel plants.
Julien Denègre
Head of Business Stream Gas Infrastructures and Power Networks, Tractebel
We are proud to bring our specialised skills in steel, metals, and mining to this groundbreaking project. NPT’s long-standing experience in the steel industry, combined with Tractebel’s multidisciplinary capabilities, creates a powerful partnership to deliver a next-generation, low-emission and highly productive steel facility for Marcegaglia.
Thomas Narholz
Founding Partner, NPT AG
The Mistral Project is a bold step toward sustainable steel production and industrial renewal in Europe. We chose Tractebel and NPT for their proven expertise and reliability. Their engineering excellence and deep understanding of complex industrial projects give us full confidence in their ability to deliver this strategic initiative on time, and with the best quality, while maintaining high safety standards.
Jean-Yves Floch
Factory Director, Marcegaglia Fos-sur-Mer
This investment of almost €1 billion by Marcegaglia marks the largest industrial commitment in the region in decades, and a major step toward green reindustrialization in Europe. It is part of a broader effort to position Fos-sur-Mer as a hub for sustainable industry, supported by synergies with neighboring projects like GravitHy, an innovative sustainable hydrogen and HBI production company, and NeoCarb, a project to produce low-carbon molecules, e-methanol, and e-kerosene developed by Verso Energy.