voestalpine said its supervisory board has greenlighted the project, under which the company will replace two blast furnaces with the EAFs, one each at its plants in Linz and Donawitz. Together, the furnaces will be capable of producing 2.5 million metric tons annually and will reduce the company’s CO₂ emissions by 30%. 

“The supervisory board has closely examined the voestalpine decarbonization plan presented by the management board, and unanimously gave it their enthusiastic approval. This investment will secure the future of our two steel production sites in Linz and Donawitz over the long term, and with it the future of our group,” said voestalpine supervisory board chairman Wolfgang Eder. 

The hope is to commission the furnaces in 2027, but the timeline remains dependent on resolving two key issues, sufficient availability of green electricity at competitive prices and clarification of unresolved funding issues in Austria. 

Still, preliminary work is already underway, and the company hopes to begin major construction next year, which it will need to do in order to the meet the 2027 goal, it said. 

The company said a decision on an equipment supplier is pending. The Linz plant will receive the larger of the two units, one capable of producing 1.6 million metric tons annually. The Donawitz furnace will have a capacity of 850,000 metric tons. 
Beyond this project, voestalpine said it hopes to replace two more blast furnaces after 2030.