The IJmuiden steelworks of Tata Steel Nederland ranks 3rd in the 2022 CO2 intensity benchmark1) published by the World Steel Association, the international trade body for the iron and steel industry. The site has been among the best 10% since 2013 and this is the 3rd consecutive year that it has scored a top-5 position. The ranking is a clear recognition of the importance Tata Steel attaches to process optimisation.
Tata Steel has been working for years to reduce its CO2 emissions. The CO2 intensity of the steel produced in IJmuiden is around 7% below the European average and almost 19% below the global average.
“I am proud that we are once more recognised as one of the most CO2-efficient steelworks in the world and I would like to share this recognition with all our people, contractors, suppliers and customers,” says Hans van den Berg, Chairman of the Board of Management of Tata Steel Nederland. “While steel is an essential part of our daily lives, we are not blind to the impact of our activities. We invest significantly to further reduce the impact of our IJmuiden operations on our neighbours and the environment. Our recently launched climate strategy represents a new level of ambition, which revolves around green, clean and circular steel production.”
Tata Steel Nederland aims to be completely CO2-neutral by 2045. CO2 reduction measures are being implemented across Europe. The site in Naantali, Finland, for example, is the first within the company to have CO2-neutral operations (for scope 1 and 2), while the new plant in Geldermalsen, the Netherlands, already runs entirely on electricity.
The company also plans to switch to green hydrogen-based steelmaking at its IJmuiden steelworks. It targets to commission its first direct reduction plants and electric furnaces by 2030, becoming a producer of large quantities of high-quality green steel and reducing its CO2 emissions by 35-40%.
Since the announcement, a great deal of progress has been made on the design phase. In August, McDermott, Danieli and Hatch were awarded the contract for the basic engineering and technical project management. Tata Steel Nederland recently also signed a memorandum of understanding with Ford in Europe to supply the car maker with Zeremis® green steel once the IJmuiden steelworks switches to green hydrogen-based steelmaking.
1) World Steel CO2 data report 2022, BF-BOF route.
