Steel will be pivotal in building and powering the infrastructure needed to achieve the UK’s net-zero ambitions, yet the current steelmaking process creates substantial CO2 emissions.
This needs to change, and Tata Steel UK has a responsibility to not only create innovative products and services which satisfy the needs of our customers, but also to reduce our own emissions.
We are committed to leading the sector’s emissions reduction initiatives. We are reviewing a range of technology options and holding detailed discussions with the highest levels of government. And we are not sitting idle – we are working on a range of projects to reduce CO2 emissions as part of our push towards carbon-neutral steel production.
The world, especially the net zero world we are working towards, needs steel. Not only will steel be needed to build and power the electric vehicles of tomorrow, it will also be integral to cities of the future, creating efficient, durable and flexible buildings.
The infrastructure needed to generate renewable electricity and to enable the decarbonisation of other sectors of industry, such as large-scale hydrogen production and distribution, and carbon capture, usage & storage, will all require large amounts of steel.
While there is no doubt steel will be an important part of the solution to climate change, its production also results in substantial emissions of CO2. We therefore feel a profound sense of responsibility to reduce the CO2 emissions from our activities. We have committed to achieving carbon neutral steelmaking by 2050 and to reduce our emissions by 30% by 2030.
- Switched to 100% renewable energy at our Shotton site in North Wales, reducing CO2 emissions at the site by 16%.
- Installed electric ovens to replace natural gas burners at our Port Talbot site
- Invested in a new electricity generating turbine at our Port Talbot power plant which reduces CO2 emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes every year.
We have invested £37 million in a new 30-megawatt electricity-generating turbine at Port Talbot. This reduces CO2 emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes every year.
We have also launched a pilot decarbonisation programme which converts waste gases into raw materials for other industries.
We also actively participate in Science Based Targets Initiative’s (SBTi) to develop steel sector-specific tools and guidance for target setting aligned with the 1.5oC Paris Agreement goals.
Collaboration is key to achieving our goals. We are working closely with research partners and universities to develop environmentally sustainable solutions to steelmaking, including:
- University of South Wales on carbon utilisation project COACE, which looks at using biological fermentation to generate acetates from wate carbon sources.
- Swansea University on Project MESH, a feasibility study on storing surplus process heat from steelmaking operation.
- A £35 million research programme with Swansea, Sheffield and Warwick universities called SUSTAIN, which will support the steel industry and the future of UK manufacturing.
- Forming the South Wales Industrial Cluster which brings together businesses across multiple industries to share knowledge and expertise, with a common goal of reaching net zero.
Without a domestic steel sector competitively producing green steel, the UK will inevitably offshore its emissions by importing steel. This would have a significant impact on the future of the UK.
To achieve our net-zero ambitions, we need to invest in transformative technology at our steelmaking site in Port Talbot. But we must also continue to meet the needs of our customers and maintain the quality and integrity of their steel supply.
So, we are evaluating a range of options for low-CO2 steelmaking while maintaining product quality, assessing a wide range of technologies and strategies such as:
- Retrofitting existing iron making processes
- Developing new iron making processes
- Replacing carbon in iron making
- Focusing on steel recycling
