Emmanuel Macron skillfully integrated himself among the workforce as he inspected the new production lines at a steel facility in France.

The French president was nearly indistinguishable amid the sea of workers, donning a hard hat, safety goggles, and a high-visibility vest identical to those worn by the employees at ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk plant.

Photographs captured Macron beaming and giving a thumbs-up as company leaders revealed a €1.3 billion (£1.13 billion) investment initiative. This funding will be directed towards replacing a coal furnace with a new electric model, set to be operational by 2029.

Previously, unions had expressed concerns that the company might abandon its plan, announced two years prior, to decarbonize the Dunkirk site by transitioning from two coal-powered furnaces to electric arc models.

“If we want to manufacture cars and build infrastructure in Europe, we must produce European steel and reduce its carbon footprint,” Macron stated while addressing some of the plant’s 3,200 workers.

Half of the investment for this transformation will be sourced from Energy Efficiency Certificates (CEE), a French initiative funded by energy supplier contributions.

Emmanuel Macron seamlessly blended into a crowd of workers as he toured new production lines at a French steel plant

The French president was difficult to make out in a hard hat, protective goggles and a high-vis vest as he stood among employees wearing identical safety gear at ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk site

‘With this strategic investment, ArcelorMittal confirms its commitment to France and Europe,’ the company’s head of flat steel products in Europe, Reiner Blaschek, said during Macron’s visit.

The company has been pressing European officials to protect the steel sector as it faces intense competition, in particular from Asian rivals not subject to strict emission regulations.

While posting a rise in 2025 operating profit to $2.9 billion this week, it welcomed in particular reforms to an EU ‘carbon tax’ to offset the CO2 emissions of foreign firms

Arcelor’s Dunkirk site is among the 50 biggest industrial sources of greenhouse gases in France, the government says.

With employees worried about job cuts if Arcelor scales back its European operations, leftist lawmakers have proposed nationalising the French operations, with a bill set for debate in the Senate on February 25.

‘I must thank President Macron and the French government who – very early on – understood the challenges the European steel industry was facing,’ Arcelor’s CEO Aditya Mittal said in a statement.

‘Their support, and in particular their efforts to drive changes to the mechanisms defending the steel market, will benefit the entire steel industry in Europe, starting here in Dunkirk.’

Pictures show Macron standing with employees as company executives announced €1.3billion (£1.13billion) would be invested to replace one of the coal furnaces with an electric model coming online in 2029.

A new long-term electricity contract with French utility EDF from January 1 had also enabled the project to go ahead, providing Dunkirk with competitive, low-carbon power, Alain Le Grix de la Salle, president of ArcelorMittal France, told reporters.

The planned furnace will replace one of the site’s blast furnaces and have a capacity to produce 2-million metric tons of steel annually. 

Its emissions per ton of steel will be three times lower than the blast furnaces, according to ArcelorMittal. 

The facility will be 50% financed by ArcelorMittal and 50% funded through a French energy-efficiency scheme. It is due to launch in 2029, the company said. 

The project was scaled back from an earlier €1.8bn version entailing two electric furnaces and partly powered by hydrogen. 

ArcelorMittal plans more electric furnace projects in France and across Europe in stages, given the scale of investments and depending on market demand, Le Grix de la Salle said.

The Dunkirk plant’s overall capacity will not change with the new furnace, as it is a replacement, he said, adding that staff levels should also remain stable in the coming years.