Zenica steelworks shuts blast furnace and steelmaking, insolvency opened

The company is shutting the sinter plant, blast furnace and steel shop because of extreme lack of competitiveness; it says the council of ministers twice rejected protective measures. The court in Zenica opened insolvency proceedings on 18 August 2026, and management wants to switch to an electric arc furnace. N1 says up to 11,000 jobs along the supply chain are at risk; the source gives no headcount for the plant itself (N1, 22 Apr 2026; SteelOrbis, 18 Aug 2026). Update (27 Oct 2026): The blast furnace, sinter plant and steelmaking shop are shut down, ending integrated steel production (SteelOrbis, 18 Aug 2026).