LIBERTY Galati has launched the tender process for the supply of hybrid electric furnace technology as it aims to transform its operations to GREENSTEEL and take a big step in meeting its target to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The announcement comes shortly after LIBERTY signed the contract with leading plant and machinery provider, Danieli, for two new hybrid electric arc furnaces at Galati’s sister plant at Ostrava, Czech Republic. LIBERTY is now targeting 10 million tonnes of recycled GREENSTEEL capacity in Europe over the next five years.
The transformation plan for LIBERTY Galati will see new hybrid electric arc furnaces replace older more polluting blast furnace production at Galati by 2025. This new technology will allow the steelmaking operations at Galati to be more flexible in the charge mix by allowing a fully flexible mix of Hot Metal, Direct Reduced Iron (DRI/HBI) and scrap steel. In doing so the plant will reduce its reliance on imported coke and iron ore, making use of domestic scrap currently exported, and also provide even greater production flexibility.
To support the drive to GREENSTEEL and carbon neutrality, LIBERTY Galati has already launched the first 50MW phase of a 180MW on-site solar project which will provide clean energy directly to the steelworks.
Sandip Biswas, GFG Alliance’s Chief Investment Officer and Interim CEO for LIBERTY Primary Steel and Mining, said: “This is an important step forward for the LIBERTY Galati transformation programme and for LIBERTY Steel Group’s ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030. These new furnaces will reduce the carbon emissions from the plant by over 80% in due course, underpinning our ambition to produce carbon neutral GREENSTEEL at LIBERTY Galati.”
The transformation programme will be supported by the GREENSTEEL Academy which aims to upskill the plant’s current workforce and encourage new people into the industry and by the GFG Foundation which will be running a range of programmes with Romanian universities and colleges aimed at educating the young generation and developing the local communities.