Tata Steel sets up India’s first carbon capture plant at Jamshedpur

Indian steel behemoth, Tata Steel, has commissioned a 5 tonnes per day (tpd) carbon capture (CC) plant at its flagship Jamshedpur steelworks, as per latest reports. Carbon capture technology extracts CO2 directly from the blast furnace gas. Tata Steel – the first steel company in India to implement the technology – will reuse the captured CO2 to promote the circular carbon economy.

Capture and reuse

The Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) facility uses a mine-based technology and makes the captured carbon available for onsite reuse. The project has been executed with technological support from Carbon Clean which specialises in low-cost CO2 capture technology.

T.V. Narendran, CEO and MD, Tata Steel, said: “We have taken this strategic step in our journey towards decarbonisation. We will continue our quest to remain an industry leader in sustainability by setting new benchmarks…For the sustainability of the steel industry globally, it is essential that we find economical solutions for capturing and reuse of CO2 at scale. Leadership in mitigating emissions, accessing low-cost clean energy, and providing circular economy solutions will define our sector’s journey going forward.”

“The operational experience gathered from this 5 tonnes per day CO2 capture plant will give us the required data and confidence to establish larger carbon capture plants in future,” he added.

Towards sustainability

Tata Steel is pursuing its goal to be the industry leader in sustainability by reducing CO2 emission intensity. The company has undertaken a two-pronged approach of Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) and CO2 Capture and Use.

Tata Steel is a member of ResponsibleSteelTM, the industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative, to further its sustainability goals.

The Company has set-up its first Steel Recycling plant at Rohtak in Haryana which will enable lower carbon emissions, resource consumption and energy utilisation.

Both, Tata Steel India and Tata Steel Europe have been recognised by the World Steel Association (worldsteel) as Steel Sustainability Champions for four years in a row.

In Sept’20, Tata Steel had joined hands with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to work in the field of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS).