Rising Green Steel Demand Propels SSAB Decarbonization Efforts
10/18/2023 - European steelmakers are moving decarbonization plans from the drawing board to construction, with pilot facilities to trial new processes up and running and new production plants in various stages of progress.
“The (European) transformation has started, and I’m very confident that we are in a good way,” said Cappel Stahl Consulting managing director Jürgen Cappel. Cappel’s comment came while moderating a panel discussion at AIST’s European Steel Forum, which is being held this week in Leoben, Austria.
The discussion focused on the European industry’s decarbonization efforts and brought together representatives from thyssenkrupp, ArcelorMittal, SSAB, Dillinger Hüttenwerke and metallurgical research center K1-Met.
Based on the presentations, the companies are progressing at different rates, with SSAB being among those further along.
The company plans to open an electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Oxelösund plant in Sweden by 2026. It also has greenlighted construction of two EAF-based mini-mills. The mills will each be able to produce 2.5 million tons annually.
With the plants, the company is aiming to mostly eliminate CO2 emissions from its operations by around 2030.
SSAB executive vice president and CTO Martin Pei said the company is able to move quickly because of familiarity and confidence in EAF technology, given its two EAF facilities in the U.S. Also, he said, the company is looking to have the new furnaces producing before it becomes time to undertake blast furnace relinings.
Additionally, he said, since delivering the first trial shipments of SSAB’s fossil-free steel, customers are wanting more.
“The demand is increasing much quicker than what we would have expected,” he said.
