At LIBERTY Ostrava today Sanjeev Gupta, the Executive Chairman of LIBERTY Steel Group, has launched the public tender process for LIBERTY Ostrava’s new hybrid furnaces. This is a major step in Ostrava’s journey of transformation towards new low carbon technologies in line with LIBERTY Steel Group’s overall target to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The tender process is part of LIBERTY Ostrava’s ambitious investment plan to transform its steel-making operations through the use of two hybrid furnaces, the first of their kind in Europe. The modern hybrid technology will have a significantly lower environmental footprint, reducing particulate emissions by 60% by 2023 due to a new dedusting plant. Once the 400kV electricity line is installed by 2025, carbon emissions will be reduced by 50% as the furnaces will be able to use 70% scrap. Full carbon neutrality will be achieved once the plant has transitioned to using 100% scrap or captures and recycles the CO2 from its primary units while offsetting residual carbon produced through GFG’s peat restoration project at JAHAMA Highland Estates in Scotland.
The two hybrid furnaces will replace the plant’s existing four tandem furnaces by 2023. The new hybrid steel-making technology will allow the business to; use higher volumes of abundant local steel scrap, reducing its reliance on imported coal and iron ore; produce significantly lower CO2 emissions; and have greater flexibility to respond to changing market situations, by enabling it to switch between or blend coal based blast furnace and scrap based electric arc furnace produced steel.
