- Japan’s steel industry accounts for 35% of manufacturing CO2 emissions
- First year of trial project to include 20 projects for targeted GX Steel use
Trial projects are underway to fully utilise Green Steel (GX Steel) in public works projects from fiscal year 2030 onwards. As the first phase of trial projects to be implemented in the initial year, fiscal year 2026, six projects have been finalised as of this week. These are civil engineering projects directly managed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, including bridge construction in Hokkaido and drainage channel improvement work in Gifu Prefecture. The six projects are expected to use a total of 2,000 tonnes (t) of green steel in the form of steel sheet piles and thick plates for bridges.
Among Japan’s climate change countermeasures, reducing emissions from the steel industry, which accounts for approximately 35% of manufacturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, is a key theme. In the steel industry, innovative large electric arc furnaces that will replace the blast furnace process are scheduled to begin full operation, and it is expected that the supply of GX steel produced in electric arc furnaces will expand further, contributing to CO2 reduction.
On the other hand, a challenge to popularising GX steel is establishing a market for it, as it tends to be more expensive than general steel. Recognising this challenge, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, plans to gradually expand the trial use of GX steel in public works projects. GX steel was positioned as one of the key products and technologies in the Japan Growth Strategy approved by the Cabinet this month, and “procurement in public works projects” was explicitly stated as a measure to create initial demand.
The trial project will involve calculating the total CO2 emissions (carbon footprint = CFP) throughout the entire lifecycle when using GX steel, and investigating the distribution process of GX steel. It will also examine how construction costs change with the use of GX steel, and identify challenges with a view to creating a market where the value of GX (amount of reduction contribution) is appropriately evaluated.
The first phase of the trial construction will involve six projects, including road and river construction. In Hokkaido, GX Steel will be used experimentally in the central superstructure construction of the Ginzan Bridge in Niki Town, and in Gifu Prefecture, in the drainage channel improvement project in the Umori-Misato area of Ogaki City. All six projects have had their ordering completed and the contractors selected by fiscal year 2025. The contractors are expected to request steel manufacturers to switch to GX Steel when procuring steel materials.
In the first year of the trial project, fiscal year 2026, more than 20 projects are expected to be selected. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to gradually expand the scope of the trial project throughout this fiscal year.
This article is published as part of a content sharing agreement between Japan Metal Daily and BigMint
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