ENERGY & UTILITIES
The relationship between steel making – both on the manufacturing and construction side – and the energy industry is multifaceted and complex .
Steelmaking is , unsurprisingly , an extremely energy-intensive process .
For example , Tata Steel ’ s operations in India currently rely heavily on fossil fuels , using blast furnaces that consume iron ore and coking coal to produce its products . In response to this , the industry giant is actively working to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and decrease carbon emissions , with plans to meet 25 % of its energy needs through green sources by 2030 .
One step as part of this wider plan involved the recent shutdown of the last blast furnace at Tata ’ s Port Talbot steelworks – with the site described as the beating heart of the community in South Wales and its closure dubbed a bitter blow for the town .
But the closure of Port Talbot ’ s last remaining blast furnace not only marked the end of an era in steel manufacturing , it – coupled with operations ceasing at Ratcliffe-on-Soar , the UK ’ s last coal-fired power plant – opens a new chapter for Britain ’ s green energy transition .
Can steel survive in a post-fossil fuel economy ? Hard-to-abate industries – such as steel – have difficulty reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and account for a large portion of the world ’ s energy consumption , as well as CO₂ emissions .
energydigital . com 117