voestalpine supplies first CO2-reduced premium steel
greentec steel is voestalpine’s ambitious phased plan for the long-term decarbonization of steel production. As a first step, the Group is now offering a CO2-reduced Edition of all the flat steel products manufactured by its Steel Division in Linz. As a result of an innovative raw materials mix and even more efficient processes, the direct emissions generated during the manufacture of voestalpine’s greentec steel Edition products have been reduced by around 10 percent. There is significant interest from customers. For example, voestalpine is supplying Norwegian company OSO Hotwater, which will use the greentec steel Edition of “colofer” premium steel strip in its heat pump boilers, storage tanks, and smart boilers.
This step of directly saving 10 percent of the carbon emissions compared to conventional production methods is achieved by modifying the reducing agent and the charge, as well as by maximizing the share of scrap, and converting to green electricity. Continuously applying optimization measures will successively reduce carbon emissions, gradually approaching the inherent limits of the process. At the same time, voestalpine steel maintains its high-quality standards. “All products have the excellent material and processing properties for which voestalpine is internationally valued. This allows us to offer a high-quality, transparent solution for all our customers who are looking for an immediate, verifiable, and above all significant reduction in their carbon footprint,” explains Hubert Zajicek, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Steel Division. We have already received several customer orders, and the signs are that there will be significant demand for sophisticated greentec steel Edition products such as hot-rolled steel strip, isovac electrical steel, and phs-ultraform.
OSO Hotwater is an established voestalpine partner. It supplies leading providers of environmentally friendly heating solutions who, in turn, are awaiting initiatives which will enhance the competitiveness of renewable energy in Europe. “We are convinced that only by working in partnership with our suppliers can we create specific and measurable results on the path to a carbon-free future. voestalpine is excellently placed to help us achieve this goal,” says Sigurd Braathen, Product & QVE Manager Domestic at OSO Hotwater.
Green steel production by 2050
At its sites in Linz and Donawitz, voestalpine is already ready working at full speed to develop technical scenarios which will drive forward decarbonization. In a next significant intermediate stage, the partial replacement of the existing blast furnace route with a hybrid-electric steel pathway could reduce carbon emissions by around a third by 2030. Here liquid pig iron and sponge iron (HBI) join scrap as the most important pre-materials for tomorrow’s carbon-neutral production of high-quality steel. In parallel, the voestalpine Group is intensively researching into so-called breakthrough technologies in order to successively increase the use of green hydrogen in the steel production process over the long term and achieve carbon-neutral steel production by 2050.