Japan-based steelmaker Nippon Steel has submitted plans to Slovak authorities to build an electric arc furnace at its Košice steelworks in eastern Slovakia, according to local media reports.
The planned electric arc furnace will have an annual steel production capacity of 1.5-2.1 million mt, depending on the use of scrap and hot briquetted iron. While the investment will replace part of the site’s coal-intensive production with lower-emission technology, the plant’s overall annual steelmaking capacity is expected to remain unchanged at 4.5 million mt.
Nippon Steel’s project is expected to reduce carbon monoxide emissions at the Košice plant by 56 percent, while nitrogen oxide emissions may fall by around 25 percent. Total industrial emissions at the site could decline by nearly one third, depending on the pollutant measured.
The value of the investment has not been disclosed. Previous plans prepared under US Steel, which included two electric arc furnaces, were estimated at more than €1.25 billion. Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin in 2027, with operations expected to start by 2030, while existing production continues.
