The UK-based trade association UK Steel has stated that the transition to electric arc furnace-based steelmaking is no longer expected to limit the country’s steelmaking capabilities in producing all steel grades and product ranges. In fact, electric arc furnaces can produce a vast range of steel products, even some previously only produced by integrated blast furnaces, by managing the raw material mix, UK Steel said.
UK producers’ production of all steel ranges via EAFs has historically been challenging due to the quality of steel scrap supply, while steelmakers are overcoming these challenges through technological advances and by mixing different amounts of pig iron or direct reduced iron into the EAF melt to dilute the residuals from steel scrap and significantly increase product ranges. Furthermore, tight control of the scrap supply and improved technology in scrap sorting have also demonstrated the ability to prevent undesirable elements from entering the EAF feedstock.
Meanwhile, Tata Steel UK, a subsidiary of India-based steelmaker Tata Steel Limited, is continuing its plan to decarbonize the Port Talbot plant by shutting down the blast furnaces there, as SteelOrbis previously reported. Commenting on the matter, Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, said, “The announcement demonstrates the difficulty of operating in such a challenging steel market, with low steel demand, softening prices, and increasing costs. The UK steel industry is at a critical turning point. We need a domestic steel sector to build a strong, resilient, low-carbon economy, but the industry faces steep challenges on the path to complete decarbonization in little more than a decade. The next few years will determine our future, and government must continue its pledge to support the UK steel sector. It is time to accelerate commitments to deliver competitive electricity prices, grow green public procurement of steel, and ensure a trade remedies regime that backs British business.”
