Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal has announced that it will cooperate with Germany-based gas company VNG Handel & Vertrieb to make the production of steel products at its Germany-based Eisenhüttenstadt plant more sustainable.
ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt is planning by means of converting the blast furnace to reduce carbon emissions in steel production from 2021 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 carbon emissions will also contribute to lower energy costs.
The refitting of the furnace should be completed by mid-2021 and the costs of these investments will amount to around €4 million ($4.86 million).
Meanwhile, ArcelorMittal aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and to produce in a climate-neutral manner by 2050. As part of the company’s climate strategy, ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt intends - also together with VNG Handel & Vertrieb - to add carbon-neutral hydrogen in a later step as soon as it is available in sufficient quantities and at an economic cost.