Greentec steel is the Voestalpine Group’s ambitious and feasible phased plan for green steel production. In a first step, one electric arc furnace will be constructed at each of the Linz and Donawitz sites. Converting to this technology allows the steel and technology Group to reduce its emissions by around 30%, representing annual savings of almost 4 million tons of CO2. The investment volume is around EUR 1.5 billion. This traditional groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of construction at the Donawitz site, and this major investment will bring significant economic benefits to the region.
Voestalpine: Groundbreaking for Austria’s largest climate protection program
by David Fleschen
Construction of the electric arc furnace (EAF) in Donawitz starts in 2024, with the EAF scheduled for commissioning three years later. Once fully operational, the EAF will produce around 850,000 tons of CO2-reduced steel annually. In contrast to the former LD (Linz-Donawitz) process, which uses coal and coke as a reducing agent, the EAF can be operated without the use of fossil fuels. The EAF uses scrap, liquid pig iron, and HBI (hot briquetted iron), with the mix adjusted according to the specific quality requirements.
"Today, we launch the next generation of steel production", said Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of Voestalpine. The partial conversion to electric arc technology at our two sites in Linz and Donawitz alone allows us to reduce local CO2 emissions by around 5% from 2027.That makes greentec steel Austria’s largest climate protection program.
Source and Photo: Voestalpine