Feralpi Group has announced the start-up of an industrial pilot plant for electrical conduction-based billet heating at its facility in Lonato del Garda, in the province of Brescia, Italy. Developed as part of the European research project Modiplant, the system represents the first application of this technology in Europe for the production of construction steel.
The system uses the Joule effect to heat billets rapidly and precisely before rolling, replacing natural gas with electricity generated from renewable sources during the final stage of the heating process. For the portion of production processed by the pilot plant, this solution eliminates direct combustion-related emissions at this stage.
A new technology for billet heating
The plant is one of the key components of the Modiplant project (MODular hybrId technology in the Steel PLANT production), funded by the European Union's Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) to develop technologies that support industrial decarbonization.
The solution involves integrating traditional gas-fired reheating furnaces with an electrical system that transfers heat directly to the billets. In addition to reducing direct CO₂ emissions, the technology aims to improve energy efficiency and metallic yield through faster and more uniform heating, potentially shortening processing times and reducing scale formation.
The project represents an unprecedented industrial application in the construction steel sector and is classified as a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) initiative. The trial will allow operational data to be collected and the potential for deploying the technology on a larger scale to be assessed.
However, extending hybrid heating to the rolling mill's entire production would require a redesign of the heating process and further investment, which is currently under consideration and will also depend on economic feasibility.
The group's decarbonization strategy
The plant's start-up is part of Feralpi's broader electrification and energy efficiency strategy, under which the group has allocated significant resources to modernizing its facilities in recent years.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, the group completed an investment program exceeding €500 million over the 2023-2025 period, which also included initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency in production processes. In 2025, Feralpi met 56 percent of its energy requirements from renewable sources, exceeding its target of 50 percent set for 2030 five years ahead of schedule.
"Electrification of thermal processes is the main pathway to structurally reducing emissions in steel production," said Giuseppe Pasini, chairman of Feralpi Group, highlighting the role of technological innovation in the sector's decarbonization efforts.
According to Pasini, the industrial-scale trial will make it possible to assess the feasibility of adopting replicable solutions, providing the entire steel industry with new knowledge to support the achievement of Europe's climate targets.
