13 March 2023
Corporate News

Energy and CO2 savings from £5 million investment at Tata Steel’s Corby steelworks

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A £5 million investment in state-of-the-art electric induction furnaces will reduce emissions from one of Tata Steel’s tube mills in Corby by at least 2000 tonnes of CO2 a year. 

Works Manager Gary Blackman said: “This is the first part of our extensive plans to make the Corby site CO2-neutral in line with Tata Steel’s declared environmental ambitions of becoming net zero globally by 2045. It also forms part of our sustainability commitment that encompasses the wider topics of biodiversity, material efficiency and sustainable products.”

The Stretch Reduction mill (SR2) takes 169mm diameter steel tubes and heats them to around 1100°C before they are stretched into hollow sections as small as 40mm diameter with wall thicknesses as thin as 3.2mm. 

Gary continued: “The line produces our premium branded product Celsius® in rectangular, square and round sections that is used extensively in mechanical applications such as tow bars, tower cranes and even ski lifts.”

Project Lead, Paul Ilko added: “The new induction furnaces will replace the original ones that first came into operation in 1980, since which the mill has produced around 2.5 million tonnes—or over 200,000km—of tubes in its lifetime: enough to stretch around the world five times.

“The improved efficiency of the new electric furnaces means we’ll need less pre-heating from the gas-fired furnaces and therefore fewer associated emissions. At the same time, as part of our sustainability commitment, we aim to move our electricity supply towards low-carbon, renewable sources in due course.”

Paul continued: “Working with our supplier, Inductotherm Heating and Welding Ltd., we will carry out the work in a two-week period at the end of October 2023.”

Adrian Cullum, Sales Manager from Inductotherm Heating and Welding Ltd. added: “The induction process is renowned for the precision and repeatability in metal processing. We’ll be replacing the existing Radyne units with 12 upgraded Inductotherm induction heating coil assemblies along with associated electrical infrastructure, cooling systems and process control gear.
“The upgraded units will offer Tata Steel a more technically advanced and energy efficient equivalent replacement.” 

Gary Blackman added: “We have some very exciting projects underway at the Corby site, which will reduce our impact on the environment, give better quality and reliability for our customers, and help to sustain the business for many years to come.”
 

ends
 

For further information: 
Tim Rutter on +44 (0)7850 990755 or tim.rutter@tatasteeleurope.com or
Abigail Thomas on abigail.thomas@tatasteeleurope.com

Notes

  • Celsius® is Tata Steel UK’s range of fully normalized hot finished hollow sections to EN 10210 and is the ultimate hot finished structural hollow section. 
  • Designed to perform in the most arduous conditions, Celsius® products have outstanding properties thanks to their fully normalized steel.
  • Celsius® is available in a range of grades, including the popular S355NH and weight-saving high strength S460NH as well as in weathering grade steel for the ultimate durability in long-life, low-maintenance structures. The size range available for Celsius® is one of the broadest on the market
  • Inductotherm Heating & Welding LTD is part of the Inductotherm Group which offers advanced technology for the engineering, manufacturing and service of thermal processing equipment used in the melting, heating, heat treating, forging, galvanizing, coating, cutting and welding of metals.  Bringing together 40 companies with 38 manufacturing facilities located in 23 countries, Inductotherm Group delivers innovative products throughout the world.  Customers rely on Inductotherm, Banyard, Inductoheat, Thermatool, Radyne, Consarc and other trusted brands in the Inductotherm Group to provide outstanding equipment and services.
     

 

Tata Steel’s Corby site is to upgrade the electric induction furnaces in its Stretch Reduction Mill, bringing significant CO2 reductions

About Tata Steel UK

  • The Tata Steel Group has been named one of the most ethical companies in the world, and is among the top producing global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes. 
  • Tata Steel in the UK has the ambition to produce net-zero steel by 2050 at the latest, and to have reduced 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030. 
  • Tata Steel is the largest steelmaker in the UK with primary steelmaking at Port Talbot in South Wales supporting manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland as well as Norway, Sweden, France and Germany. It also benefits from a network of international sales offices around the world.
  • Tata Steel employs more than 8,000 people and has an annual crude steel capacity of 5 million tonnes, supplying high-quality steel products to demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering. 
  • Tata Steel Group is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world. 
  • The Group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $32.83 Bn in the financial year ending March 31, 2022.
     

 

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