At the Danieli InnovAction Meeting that is currently taking place in Buttrio, Italy, Italian plantmaker Danieli has discussed the use of nuclear power in addition to renewable sources as clean energy for steel production in the path towards the green transition.
“It is very hard to replace coal without using much energy, and probably renewable sources are not enough alone,” explained Giacomo Mareschi Danieli, CEO of Danieli S.p.A. “Nuclear power is a resource we have, and […] we hope that, in the future, steel plants will be equipped with a mini-nuclear power plant that can provide all the energy needed to decarbonize the process.” The hypothesis of using nuclear power as a possible clean energy source in the decarbonization of steelmaking was also welcomed by Italian minister of environment Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, by the association of Italian industries Confindustria and by regional authorities.
Also, Alessandro Brussi, interim president of Danieli Group, talked about the decarbonization issue, stating that, in a scenario where scrap is becoming less and less available, it is crucial to have alternative raw materials, such as DRI, that can be used to power zero-emission electric arc furnaces.