Japanese steelmaker JFE Steel announced that it has officially started operations on a newly installed electric furnace at the No. 4 steel mill at its East Japan plant in the Chiba area. The company invested approximately 15 billion yen (US$95.97 million) in the project.
Focus on increasing scrap utilization
The capacity of the new electric furnace for scrap smelting is approximately 300,000 tons per year.
Steel plant no. 4 produces stainless steel using molten pig iron from blast furnaces along with its own scrap. With the introduction of the new furnace, JFE Steel aims to significantly increase the use of scrap in production.
Reduced carbon emissions planned
According to the company, the new equipment will replace part of the molten pig iron entering the blast furnace with scrap, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plant's scrap smelting capacity is expected to increase to nearly six times its previous level.
JFE Steel estimates the project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 450,000 tons per year. The initiative is part of the company's broader strategy to move towards low-emission steel production. The company said that the period until 2030 will be a transition phase, focused on the gradual expansion of low-carbon production methods and the development of innovative decarbonization technologies.
