Voestalpine breaks ground on EAF conversion project

The Austria-based Voestalpine Group has held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of its Greentec Steel initiative to install an electric arc furnace (EAF) production line at its Donawitz, Austria, site.

Voestalpine announced a decision this March to allocate $1.6 billion of funding toward the installation of EAF technology at its steel mill sites in Donawitz and Linz, Austria. The mills receiving the investments currently use blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace (BOF) technology.

“Converting to this technology allows the steel and technology group to reduce its emissions by around 30 percent, representing annual savings of almost 4 million tons of CO₂,” states Voestalpine.

Large-scale construction of the EAF facility in Donawitz is scheduled to start in 2024, with the furnace scheduled for commissioning three years later, says the firm.

The EAF mill in Donawitz is being designed to produce around 850,000 tons of steel annually. “In contrast to the former LD (Linz-Donawitz) process, which uses coal and coke as a reducing agent, the EAF can be operated without the use of fossil fuels,” says Voestalpine.

Adds the company, “The EAF uses scrap, liquid pig iron, and HBI (hot briquetted iron), with the mix adjusted according to the specific quality requirements.”

“Today, we launch the next generation of steel production,” remarked Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of Voestalpine AG, at the September groundbreaking ceremony. “The partial conversion to electric arc technology at our two sites in Linz and Donawitz alone allows us to reduce local CO₂ emissions by around 5 percent from 2027. That makes Greentec Steel Austria’s largest climate protection program.”

The construction process in Donawitz is starting with demolishing some buildings and machinery, including the former continuous casting plant and lengths of disused rail track. “This is where the future EAF and new scrap hall will stand,” says the company.

Power providers Austrian Power Grid (APG) and Energie Steiermark are also at work installing the EAF’s power supply infrastructure, according to Voestalpine.

“The dimensions of the Greentec Steel project in Donawitz are immense,” says the steel producer, saying the parcel of land being used measures more than 800,000 square feet.

Voestalpine has selected Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A. as a key technology vendor, providing engineering, production and commissioning of both EAFs, including the Italian firm’s Digimelter furnace technology.

“By awarding the contract and ordering the delivery of the main equipment, we have laid the technological foundations for tomorrow’s steel production,” says Franz Kainersdorfer, a member of the management board of Voestalpine. “Working together with Danieli, we will now start the technical planning for this demanding project.”