Demand is growing for high-quality, CO2-reduced steel from voestalpine, and now the first greentec steel edition coils have left the plant in Linz. Starting at the end of the last calendar year, the steel and technology group now offers all steel division flat steel products with a reduced carbon footprint. Examples include electrical steel, which is used in wind turbines, and high-tensile steels for lightweight automotive construction.
Carbon emissions are reduced through adjustments to the manufacturing process such as partially replacing coke with a hydrogen-based reducing agent. The CO2 savings are calculated according to the international standard ISO 14064-2.
A balance model is applied to distribute the actual CO2 savings across a specific quantity of product. LRQA, a leading global assurance provider, examines and certifies both the CO2 reduction and the status of the balancing account.
“A market for more environmentally friendly steel is currently emerging. We can meet this growing customer demand in the high-quality sector with our innovative greentec steel Edition product solutions, while at the same time contributing to the global climate goals. We have a clear goal: quality leadership in CO2-reduced and CO2-neutral steel production,” said Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG.
In addition to optimising the production process, voestalpine is focusing on the use of renewable energy.
“We generate around 70 percent of the electricity we consume during steel production in Linz by using the gases which are a byproduct of the production process. Our remaining energy portfolio is being gradually converted to renewables,” said Hubert Zajicek, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Steel Division.
Greentec steel is voestalpine’s clear plan for decarbonising steel production. An important first step is the incremental shift from the blast furnace route to a hybrid-electric steel pathway from 2027.
Once an electric arc furnace goes into operation at each of the Linz and Donawitz sites in early 2027, CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced, by up to 30%. This represents almost 5% of Austria’s annual carbon emissions. The steel and technology group’s long-term mission is carbon-neutral steel production using green hydrogen, for which it is already undertaking intensive research into promising breakthrough technologies.
