India can reduce carbon emissions from its steel sector by as much as 28 percent through greater use of scrap, making it one of the most practical short-term solutions for decarbonization, Alok Sahay, secretary general of the Indian Steel Association (ISA), said on Tuesday, February 24.
Addressing a conclave titled “Reimagining India’s Scrap and Recycling Market”, organized by the New Delhi-based PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the ISA secretary general said that India’s current carbon intensity stands at 2.55 mt of carbon dioxide per metric ton of steel.
Scrap-based production offers an immediate emissions reduction, unlike hydrogen-based technologies that remain costly and limited by raw material availability, he added.
Globally, he noted, only 600 million mt out of two billion mt of annual steel production comes from scrap.
Mr. Sahay also outlined India’s steel growth trajectory, noting that production has risen from 25 million mt to 165 million mt and is expected to reach 300 million mt by 2030. With long-term targets extending to 700 million mt by 2070, he said scrap would become strategically indispensable.
However, scrap-based production currently accounts for only 22 percent of total steel production in India, compared with much higher shares in the United States and the European Union. India’s reliance on scrap imports could become risky as exporting countries consider restrictions, he underlined.
