Leaked Report Highlights Pollution Problems at ArcelorMittal’s Bosnian Steelworks, 12 June 2024

...Residents have long blamed pollution on ArcelorMittal, which has its global headquarters in Luxembourg and is an official sponsor of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

A Bosnia-Herzegovina government inspection report obtained by OCCRP provides evidence supporting their claims. The 2023 report from the federal Ministry of Environment shows the company for years neglected to implement recommended measures against pollution.

“There is no recognition of the intention to implement these measures within the given deadline,” reads the report.

In an emailed response to questions, AMZ admitted that it had failed to address issues raised in the inspection report as directed.

“While we acknowledge that some of the measures have been implemented later than the recommended timeframe, we are addressing all of the measures outlined in the inspector’s report,” the company said.

...The inspection report obtained by reporters lists a number of problems at the Zenica steelworks that it says were never dealt with.

The inspector noted that slag –– a residue left from the smelting of iron ore –– was being dumped in landfills that ArcelorMittal had not obtained permits for. The inspector concluded that while the company had stated its intentions to establish a non-hazardous disposal site, “the intention to reach it in the near future is not recognized as an environmentally sound solution.”

...The inspection report also mentioned poor maintenance at the steelworks, and other deficiencies including a failure to implement measures aimed at reducing emissions. The report found that AMZ had failed to meet deadlines for the implementation of at least 13 of the 15 measures as required by law.

According to documents accessed by OCCRP and CIN through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, a total of 87 environmental inspections were carried out by authorities at AMZ facilities, leading to at least 46 violations. From 2019 to 2024, AMZ was fined a total of $79,751 as a consequence.

...The company announced in March that it would close down the facility, which superheats coal to turn it into “coke,” a fuel used to make steel.

“Following this closure, diffuse emissions from ArcelorMittal Zenica have decreased by 80%,” the company said in its email to OCCRP.

...The closure of the coke plant marks the latest major change for a steelworks that has been in operation for more than 130 years.