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She ordered the central electric arc furnace from Primetals for a three-digit million sum. This is the former sister company of the Linz group in the immediate vicinity. voestalpine boss Herbert Eibensteiner speaks of a “milestone”.
When switching to green steel, i.e. steel production with the lowest possible CO2 emissions, voestalpine AG made a key investment decision. The technological core unit, the electric arc furnace, is ordered from Primetals Technologies Austria. “Primetals was able to convince as the best commercial and technical bidder. Together we will now tackle the technical implementation of the demanding project,” says Hubert Zajicek, member of the board of voestalpine AG and head of the steel division based in Linz. The unit, with an oven capacity of 180 tons per batch, will go into operation in 2027.
- Read on the topic: Steel plant manufacturer Primetals has been operating at full capacity for years [OÖNplus]
The size of the order volume is not disclosed, but it can be roughly estimated. voestalpine confirmed a long time ago that a good one billion would be invested in this project in Linz alone, which is also related to significant renovation work on the factory premises. The oven will make up a large part of the volume.
Primetals was convincing
It is not a given that Primetals will come into play. Although both companies have common roots and Primetals has its headquarters in Linz on the expanded factory premises, other providers also came into play here and there with voestalpine. When it comes to the technology surrounding green steel, the Linz neighbor may actually have been convincing.
- You might also be interested in: voestalpine – How the plant in Linz is changing [OÖNplus]
The construction of the electric arc furnace is part of the comprehensive “greentec steel” investment program. In the first step, one blast furnace in Linz and Donawitz will be replaced by an electric arc furnace that runs on green electricity. This should reduce the group’s CO2 emissions by 30 percent from 2027. This corresponds to a volume of around four million tonnes per year. As reported, this would mean that CO2 emissions across Austria would fall by five percent through this measure alone.
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