Voestalpine orders EAF system for its Linz, Austria, campus

Austrian steel producer Voestalpine AG says it has commissioned Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH to supply a new electric arc furnace (EAF) that it calls “the technological heart of the transformation to steel production powered by green electricity.”

The steelmaker has branded its EAF initiative with the name Greentec. EAFs have the ability to melt a higher percentage of ferrous scrap than the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace (BOF) configuration, 

Voestalpine lays claim to having helped develop now widely used blast furnace/BOF techniques at its two Austrian mills, including the one in Linz. Thus, the company’s previously announced conversion to EAF technology can be considered to have historical importance.

The Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH business unit of that London-based technology provider will be responsible for installing the EAF’s process equipment, including automation, power supply, capacitor bank, conveyor technology, heat recovery and dedusting while monitoring the assembly and commissioning of the equipment, according to Voestalpine.

“Greentec steel launches the next generation of steel production,” says Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of Voestalpine. “Awarding the contract and ordering the EAF for our site in Linz marks another important milestone.”

“Primetals Technologies Austria was the clear winner in terms of their commercial and technical offering,” remarks Hubert Zajicek, a member of the Voestalpine management board and head of its steel division. “Together, we will now start the technical implementation of this demanding project.”

The planned EAF has a furnace capacity of 180 tons per charge and will start operating in 2027, say the companies. The contract for the EAF at the site in Donawitz, Austria, was awarded to Italy-based Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A. last summer.

Voestalpine calls the Greentec Steel “an ambitious and feasible phased plan [that] allows Voestalpine to make a valuable contribution to achieving climate goals.”