Worthy Aims

e’ve seen quite a few announcements this year by steelmakers seeking to adopt new methods of carbon reduction and lessening their reliance on fossil fuels. Let’s highlight just four programs announced during late June and July.

Nucor Corp. is pursuing greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies that will lower the GHG emissions intensity of its steel mills to 77 percent less than today’s global average. That comprises an additional 35 percent combined reduction in the Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions intensity of its mills by 2030. That goal is measured against a 2015 baseline, the year the Paris Climate Accord was adopted.

At present, Nucor’s GHG emissions equal 0.47 tons of CO2 per ton of steel. By 2030, Nucor’s steel mill GHG emission intensity will be 0.38 tons of CO2 per ton. Nucor will also continue to reduce its Scope 3 GHG emissions associated with raw materials.

Beyond 2030, Nucor is committed to further reducing its GHG emissions to a goal of net-zero-emission steel at scale.

“Our GHG intensity is less than one-third the world average, but we are committed to going further,” says Leon Topalian, Nucor’s president and CEO. “Nucor is proving that steel can be produced in a sustainable way to help the world meet its climate goals.”

Sweden’s SSAB just launched a research project, Towards Fossil-Free Steel (FFS), in Finland. It will work with industrial and research partners to explore solutions and alternatives to produce fossil-free steel and ways to withdraw entirely from the use of fossil energy, mostly by using renewable energy to produce steel.

SSAB aims to be completely fossil free and to remove the company’s fossil fuel-based carbon dioxide emissions by 2045.

U.S. Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Equinor US Holdings Inc., under which the companies will study the potential for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen development in the Tri-State region of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

“As we build momentum toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the opportunity to explore the potential for a hydrogen hub in this region— anchored in the Mon Valley—is cause for optimism,” said Richard Fruehauf, U.S. Steel’s senior vice president, chief strategy and sustainability officer.

Steel Dynamics Inc. wants to be carbon neutral by 2050 for its electric arc furnace operations. The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is targeting a 20 percent Scopes 1 and 2 combined greenhouse gas emissions intensity reduction across its EAF steel mills by 2025 and a 50 percent reduction by 2030, compared to a 2018 baseline. The steelmaker also plans to increase the use of renewable electrical energy for its EAF melt shops to 10 percent by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030.

“We are embarking on a path to carbon neutrality from a position of strength, and we are committed to the continued reduction of our environmental footprint,” stated Mark D. Millett, SDI’s chairman, president and CEO. “Steel must continue to play a critical role in the green transition.”

As someone who would like to continue living on a mostly blue and green, breathable planet, I applaud these efforts.