UK's Liberty Steel to install Europe's first hybrid steel furnaces

Liberty Steel, a global metals and mining company with operations in more than 200 localities on four continents, announced that it will install Europe's first hybrid steel furnace at its Liberty Ostrava plant in the Czech Republic.

Liberty Steel planned to replace four tandem steelmaking furnaces with two hybrid steelmaking furnaces by 2023, which could reduce carbon emissions by more than 50%.

Sanjeev Gupta, chairman of the Liberty Steel Group, said this was an important step for the transformation of Liberty Ostrava. The new furnaces will significantly reduce carbon emissions at the plant, a big step towards green steel production.

Modern hybrid technology has a significantly lower environmental impact than conventional equipment and will reduce particulate matter emissions by 60% by 2023 thanks to a new dust collection unit. After the 400 kV transmission line is installed by 2025, carbon emissions will be reduced by 50% as the furnaces can use 70% of the scrap. Full carbon neutrality will be achieved when the plant converts to 100% scrap or captures and recycles CO2 from its primary units, offsetting the residual carbon generated by the GFG peat recovery project at JAHAMA Highland Estates in Scotland.