- Furnace to start production in FY29
- New furnace much larger than conventional EAFs
Japan Metal Daily: Nippon Steel has started construction work on a new electric furnace in the Hachiman area of the Kyushu Steel Works. Of the three electric furnaces announced by the company as a conversion from blast furnace processes to electric furnace processes, the Yawata area is planned to have the largest capacity of about 2 million tonnes (mnt) per year.
Aiming to establish an integrated manufacturing and mass production system for high-grade steel using a large-scale electric furnace, the company positions it as the world’s first initiative along with the scale of production.
The investment amount is JPY 630.2 billion ($3.97 billion), and the amount of government support is JPY 179.9 billion (upper limit). Production will start in the second half of FY29 together with the Setouchi Steel Works Hirohata area.
Large EAF
The new electric furnace is much larger than the conventional electric furnace. The company emphasises that it is the “world’s first” in that it mass-produces high-grade steel such as electromagnetic steel plates in a large electric furnace with an annual output of 2 mnt, which is a technical area that has never been stepped into with existing electric furnaces.
On the other hand, there are quality constraints such as the removal of impurities derived from scrap and the uniformity of ingredients, and the biggest challenge is to achieve the same quality as blast furnace materials. Nippon Steel will promote the establishment of technology to create quality from steelmaking to rolling.
The Yawata area currently produces about 3.7 mnt of crude steel per year, and will maintain a multi-product production system even after the conversion to electric furnaces. The shortfall will be supplemented by the supply of iron sources from other bases such as the Oita area, and the entire Kyushu Steel Plant will be operated as a whole. It will transition to a “hybrid iron source” system that combines two blast furnaces and one electric furnace.
As manufacturing costs are expected to rise due to the conversion to electric furnaces, the company intends to ask consumers to understand the environmental value of GX steel. It will also establish a company-wide procurement and management system for scrap and other iron sources to ensure stability.
The project is a large-scale restructuring that will renovate about half of the Yawata area, and the blast furnace will be suspended after parallel operation, and it is expected to be converted in earnest around 30 years.
Note: This article is published as part of an article sharing agreement between Japan Metal Daily and BigMint
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