Largest steelmaker to use natural gas at its blast furnace
The natural gas supplier VNG Handel & Vertrieb and ArcelorMittal will cooperate to make the production of steel products at the Eisenhuttenstadt location more sustainable by switching to natural gas in 1.7 million tonnes per year blast furnace.
ArcelorMittal Eisenhuttenstadt is initially planning to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production from 2021 by converting the blast furnace by around five percent per year. In the future, natural gas will be used in the blast furnace to reduce the need for coal, which in addition to lowering CO2 emissions also contributes to lower energy costs.
The refitting of the furnace should be completed by mid-2021, the costs for these investments amount to around four million euros.
ArcelorMittal Eisenhuttenstadt intends, also together with VNG Handel & Vertrieb, to add CO2-neutral hydrogen in a later step as soon as it is available in sufficient quantities and at economic costs.
As the world’s largest steel and mining company in Europe, ArcelorMittal aims to save 30 percent of CO2 emissions by 2030 and produce in a climate neutral manner by 2050.
ArcelorMittal Eisenhuttenstadt is capable of producing 2.1 million tonne of HR, 1.9 million tonnes of CR. It also produces coated products.
