Nippon Steel Corporation has decided to start studies to shift from the blast furnace (BF) steelmaking process to the electric arc furnace (“EAF”) steelmaking process by using the Kyushu Works Yawata Area and the Setouchi Works Hirohata Area as candidate sites.
As the company begins studies to shift the steelmaking process, they will establish an in-house study organization and accelerate studies by inviting a wide range of external parties, so as to achieve the objective at the earliest possible time. The two candidate sites for the EAF shift are Nippon Steel’s representative mass production bases for high-grade steel. Both areas intend to bring together the outcomes of the technologies under development and to become quickly engaged in making carbon neutral high-grade steel.
The shift from the BF process to the EAF process is expected to have a significant effect in reducing CO2 emissions but a significant increase in production costs is also expected due to the requirement for huge capital expenditures and an increase in operational costs, including raw materials and electricity costs.
Courtesy of Nippon Steel.