ArcelorMittal Ostrava Gains EU Funding for Environmental Investments
09/26/2013 - ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in the Czech Republic is co-funding its environmental projects through European Union funds, for the first time in the company’s history. ArcelorMittal Ostrava will use the funding to commission new, cleaner technologies worth CZK 2.6 billion (US$136.7 million) by 2016.
After approving the first two projects for environmental investments in Ostrava’s sinter plant and blast furnaces, the European Commission has now approved the site’s grant application for the biggest of the three environmental projects: the installation of fabric filters in Ostrava’s sinter plant south.
All three projects are eligible for EU funding as they are part of the company’s drive to reduce emissions beyond the requirements of the new EU environmental legislation that will come into effect in 2016. The site aims to implement all three emissions reduction projects by 2016 at the latest.
Thanks to its own environmental investments and projects, ArcelorMittal Ostrava is already compliant with current and future EU limits and regulations. The new investment will help the company further reduce emissions of particulate matter from its furnaces, as well as emissions of nitrogen oxide from its power plant.
“We see the EU funding as an extension of the environmental improvements we have undertaken to date. We want to continue with the initiative to improve the environment, and we want to bring our emissions further down”, explains Petr Baranek, chief green officer of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
The company applied for co-funding in May 2012; the regional authority of Moravia-Silesia gave its approval and all projects were also accepted by the State Environmental Fund (SFŽP) and the Ministry of Environment (MŽP). The scale of the investment required the European Commission to give its approval for the majority of investments – which it did as it has approved all three projects and agreed with 90% co-funded and the remaining 10% funded solely by ArcelorMittal. The other two projects already approved by the EU involve the de-dusting of cooling belts at Ostrava’s sinter plant and the capacity increase in the de-dusting of the cast house in its two blast furnaces.
All three projects are eligible for EU funding as they are part of the company’s drive to reduce emissions beyond the requirements of the new EU environmental legislation that will come into effect in 2016. The site aims to implement all three emissions reduction projects by 2016 at the latest.
Thanks to its own environmental investments and projects, ArcelorMittal Ostrava is already compliant with current and future EU limits and regulations. The new investment will help the company further reduce emissions of particulate matter from its furnaces, as well as emissions of nitrogen oxide from its power plant.
“We see the EU funding as an extension of the environmental improvements we have undertaken to date. We want to continue with the initiative to improve the environment, and we want to bring our emissions further down”, explains Petr Baranek, chief green officer of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
The company applied for co-funding in May 2012; the regional authority of Moravia-Silesia gave its approval and all projects were also accepted by the State Environmental Fund (SFŽP) and the Ministry of Environment (MŽP). The scale of the investment required the European Commission to give its approval for the majority of investments – which it did as it has approved all three projects and agreed with 90% co-funded and the remaining 10% funded solely by ArcelorMittal. The other two projects already approved by the EU involve the de-dusting of cooling belts at Ostrava’s sinter plant and the capacity increase in the de-dusting of the cast house in its two blast furnaces.
