LIBERTY Galati make a great step forward towards carbon neutrality

Sanjeev recently had a great opportunity to show how GFG is investing in accelerating our GREENSTEEL strategy, in modernising LIBERTY Galati and in encouraging young minds to think about how we can make better, cleaner steel.

On Wednesday 10th June, Sanjeev welcomed Ludovic Orban, the Prime Minister of Romania, as well as a number of Government Ministers and senators to LIBERTY Galaţi as he signed a series of agreements with the Government, the national gas company (Romgaz), EximBank Romania and also local educational institutions to help to make Galati our first GREENSTEEL plant in continental Europe.

The MoU Sanjeev signed with the Government incorporates our plan to install modern steel-making technologies, significantly reducing direct CO2 emissions, increasing the use of lower carbon energy sources and creating a more flexible, competitive operation. The GREENSTEEL investment plans for Galati, which will see it expand production capacity towards 4 million tonnes of liquid steel a year, include:

A Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant with 2.5 million tonne capacity. The DRI plant, which will initially use natural gas, will transition to using hydrogen as hydrogen production technology becomes more cost effective.

Two Electric Arc Furnaces, one of which will be dedicated to cast slabs for Galati’s world renowned plate mill and the other for direct casting of hot rolled coil production, a state of the art and highly competitive technology. The EAFs will reduce CO2 emissions per tonne of steel produced by up to 80%, with emissions dropping to almost nothing once the DRI plant is hydrogen powered. This will make Galati the first European primary steel plant in GFG to get going on a path to become carbon neutral by 2030.

In what was a busy day with around 40 guests including a range of national and international media, all socially distanced and operating within the plant’s strict hygiene regime, Sanjeev also signed four other MoUs with:

Adrian Constantin Volintiru, the CEO of RomGaz, the State gas company, to provide a framework for a potential joint venture partnership between LIBERTY Galati and Romgaz to build a new natural gas power plant within the curtilage of the steelworks.

Profesor Dr Puiu Lucian Georgescu, Rector of “Dunarea de Jos” University Galaţi to create a LIBERTY Galați GREENSTEEL Academy which will encourage more young people, from top-quality engineers to technical and operational specialists, into the steel industry to help us develop more sustainable production methods.

Mihai Varlam, Executive Director at The Romanian Institute for Research and Development for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies, to collaborate in the development of technical studies and business application of hydrogen technology for steel production.

Traian Halalai, Executive Chairman, EximBank Romania, to agree to collaborate to support GFG’s investment in LIBERTY Galati.

Picture caption:  Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban (closest to camera) stands next to GFG Executive Chairman, Sanjeev Gupta during the visit to Galaţi.