Kryvyi Rih Authorities Urge ArcelorMittal to Reconsider Plant Shutdown

Yurii Vilkul Urges Lakshmi Mittal to Halt Closure Plans for ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih

Kryvyi Rih municipal authorities learned from media reports that ArcelorMittal intended to fully shut down and mothball its massive steel plant, prompting acting mayor Yurii Vilkul to send an open appeal to company owner Lakshmi Mittal, forbes.ua reported. City council deputies backed the appeal during an October 28, 2026 session, demanding a complete strategy review to avert what they describe as an unfolding socioeconomic and ecological crisis at the largest metallurgical complex in Ukraine.

Municipal Leaders Challenge Total Plant Conservation Over Job Losses

City officials warn that shuttering the facility threatens the livelihoods of roughly 17,000 workers currently employed at the plant, a steep drop from the 57,000 workers on payroll prior to privatization. According to details published by Economic truth, the municipal administration criticized the international leadership of ArcelorMittal for failing to hold prior consultations with local authorities before announcing the asset preservation strategy.

The total production halt follows a bruising series of Russian missile strikes during late 2025 and 2026, which killed six workers and injured more than 18 others, according to reports compiled by Interfax-Ukraine. In response to the intensifying security risks, the steelmaker initiated a cold shutdown of its primary operations on October 10, 2026, after previously announcing on September 25 that normal manufacturing would remain suspended for the duration of the war.

Ecological Risks Threaten Tailings Dams and Infrastructure Maintenance

Beyond employment concerns, the Kryvyi Rih city council warned that cutting back personnel and upkeep poses immediate dangers to critical hydraulic structures managed by the mining department. As noted by LEAGUE, tailing dumps, water retention dams, and drainage networks require constant supervision to handle continuous inflows of subterranean mine water. Local authorities cited a 2021 dam breach at the Central tailings storage facility as a precedent that demonstrates the severe environmental hazards of neglected infrastructure in an urbanized region of 800,000 residents.

The industrial processes at the facility rely on hazardous materials including sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and phenolic waters. City officials emphasize that a sudden, unmanaged abandonment of these installations could trigger a localized technological disaster unless round-the-clock technical monitoring is maintained.

Local Authorities Propose Rail Logistics and Partial Production Alternatives

Rather than complete asset freezing, the municipal government argues that technical avenues remain open to keep parts of the complex operational. Local leaders suggest that the mining department could continue moving up to 300,000 tons of iron ore concentrate each month via railway lines to ArcelorMittal’s European manufacturing sites, bypassing constrained Black Sea shipping lanes just as the company has done for the past two decades. Furthermore, officials argue that domestic demand for metal products destined for infrastructure reconstruction remains stable enough to support safe, partial industrial operations.