Steel Mills
SSAB Americas Targets Fossil-free Production by 2026
Written by Sandy Williams
December 17, 2019
SSAB Americas plans to be the first supplier of fossil-free steel in North America. The company has targeted 2026 for its operations in Montpelier, Iowa, to be powered completely by renewable energy.
The Montpelier facility is powered primarily by wind farms operated by MidAmerican Energy. The steel produced at the Iowa mill is used to build energy infrastructure such as wind towers and bridges, as well as heavy construction equipment. MidAmerican Energy expects to deliver 100 percent renewable energy to its customers by 2022.
SSAB mills in the United State operate scrap-based electric arc furnace technology, which uses almost entirely recycled materials. To supplement its scrap use, the Iowa and Alabama plants will use fossil-free sponge iron produced in Sweden as part of the HYBRIT project, leading to the eventual production of fossil-free steel.
The Hybrit project is a joint endeavor lead by SSAB in collaboration with Swedish mining company LKAB and Swedish energy company Vattenfall. The HYBRIT project is developing a process to use hydrogen gas to replace coke in the reduction of iron ore resulting in the emission of water rather than carbon dioxide. The fossil-free production process is expected to enhance SSAB’s advanced high-strength steels.
“SSAB continues to innovate our products and manufacturing processes, and accordingly, we will transition toward fossil-free steelmaking and renewable energy,” said Chuck Schmitt, president of SSAB Americas, a division of global steelmaker SSAB. “Our customers, end users and OEMs are excited to collaborate with us to enable them to be the first in their respective sectors to use SSAB fossil-free steel in their products. Ultimately, our goal is to create a completely fossil-free value chain, from the raw materials and through to the end products.”
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
AHMSA opens doors to potential buyers as $1.3B asset auction nears
AHMSA is opening its doors to potential buyers to tour its steel plant and mining operations in northern Mexico in preparation for the next stage of its bankruptcy process: the auction of its assets.
USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.
Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.
ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).
Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!