LIBERTY Steel launches major carbon neutral project in Czech Republic

On 10^th November, Sanjeev launched the tender process for LIBERTY Ostrava’s new hybrid furnaces.

The project is the first of its kind in Europe and is aimed at achieving Ostrava’s carbon neutrality by 2030 as part of our CN30 goal.

The new furnaces will transform the plant’s steel-making operations, reducing dust emissions by 60% and carbon emissions by more than 50%.

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.

LIBERTY Steel Group plans to invest a total of EUR 750 million in the development of its Ostrava steelworks over the course of the next ten years. In addition to the modernization of the steel shop the transformation will also include an extensive modernization of the steel rolling mills, which will improve the quality of steel and expand the product portfolio with high added value products.