ArcelorMittal has recently signed a commitment with the Spanish Government to promote a transition to a decarbonised steel industry. 1,000 million in technologies for decarbonisation at the ArcelorMittal Asturias factory in Gijón and will introduce new manufacturing processes that contribute to a considerable reduction of CO2. Having achieved this, ArcelorMittal Sestao will become in 2025 the first steelworks to achieve zero carbon emissions in its entire production process.
According to ArcelorMittal, the centrepiece of the plan is a green hydrogen direct reduction iron ore (DRI) plant, “which will have a production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes per annum, complemented by a hybrid electric furnace with a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes. This marks the beginning of the transition process for the ArcelorMittal plant in Gijón, which from a steel process based on the blast furnace and BOF converter route to one based on the DRI and electric steel mill route, which has a significantly lower carbon footprint. The new DRI plant – which will be the first facility of its kind in Spain – and the new electric arc furnace will go into production before the end of 2025″.
To maximize the potential for emission reductions, and to achieve the processes already described, the electricity used will come from renewable energy sources. As the steel company’s press release points out, the support of the national and regional governments for this project is fundamental, “as it will allow ArcelorMittal to access green hydrogen supplied through a consortium of companies that will collaborate in the construction of the infrastructure required to produce hydrogen on the Iberian Peninsula by means of solar electrolysis and transport it directly by pipeline. The initiative involves the construction of several large-scale solar parks, with the hydrogen produced in situ, and with the corresponding impact on employment”.
The DRI plant in Gijón will also supply the company’s plant in Sestao (Basque Country), whose production process is already based entirely on the electric furnace route. Having achieved this, ArcelorMittal Sestao will become the first steel plant in 2025 to achieve zero carbon emissions in its entire production process. With an annual production of 1.6 million tons of steel destined for the automotive, construction and general industry sectors, it will become the first steelworks in the world with zero emissions in its entire production process.
On the occasion of this important achievement, Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal, said: “We are delighted to announce that ArcelorMittalhas achieved this important milestone.It is widely recognised that accelerating progress over the next decade is essential if the world is to achieve a net zero emissions balance by 2050. The Expression of Interest we have signed today will be an important element in achieving precisely that goal. The construction in Gijón of the new plant for the direct reduction of iron ore with green hydrogen will not only allow us to halve the emissions of our facilities in Spain, but will also allow us to have, in Sestao, the first steelworks in the world with zero carbon emissions in its entire production process”.
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