France will supply Ukraine with recycled steel rails, a “very nice symbol” welcomed on Tuesday by Industry Minister Roland Lescure, who visited the Hayange production facility in Moselle, AFP reported.

The German Saarstahl Rail plant will send about 25,000 tons of rails to Ukraine, which is 8% of its annual production, its president Klaus Richter said.

The contract was announced in December in Paris during a conference on aid to Ukraine.

The operation, which involves the repair of more than 150 km of Ukrainian railways, is being carried out thanks to funding from the Treasury in the amount of 37.6 million euros.

“These rails are part of European peacekeeping efforts, they will contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine,” the minister said.

Since the beginning of summer, the rails are to be taken to the west of Ukraine, beyond the conflict zone.

The steel comes from another Saarstahl plant near Valenciennes (Nord), where it is produced from recycled scrap metal. It is then converted into rails in Khayang, a town that still houses ArcelorMittal’s blast furnaces, which closed just 10 years ago.

Saarstahl is proud that for about two years it has been producing steel using electricity instead of coal-fired blast furnaces, which means its carbon emissions are 10 times lower than traditional steel production.

“The green industry must be one of the pillars of France’s development: creating jobs while saving the planet,” said Roland Lescure.