Austrian steelmaker voestalpine AG has announced that it will construct a new special steel plant in Kapfenberg, Austria, with an investment up to €350 million. The new plant will be designed to produce high-performance steels for the international aerospace, automotive, and oil & gas industries.
According to the company’s statement, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant will be held in 2018, and after three years of construction the high-tech plant is scheduled to commence operations in 2021, replacing the current Böhler special steel plant in Kapfenberg.
Voestalpine stated that the new plant will also be the global benchmark for environmental and energy efficiency. Closed cooling water circuits and efficient heat recovery and de-dusting systems help to conserve resources and minimize emissions. At the core of the plant will be an electric arc furnace, operated using electricity generated from 100 percent renewable sources, which melts down ultra-pure scrap and alloys into liquid materials. The production capacity is around 205,000 mt of high-performance steels per year.