October 16, 2008

EU steel industry reaffirms commitment to R&D to reduce CO2 emissions

It is reported that the European Steel Technology Platform has decided to launch a second phase of the Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking research program.

ULCOS II will be the world’s most ambitious Research and Development effort to reduce process related CO2 emissions in steelmaking. The current ULCOS project brings together steelmakers, companies in the steel supply chain, research laboratories and universities to devise the breakthrough technologies that can bring about enhanced reductions in CO2 emissions from steelmaking, with almost EUR 30 million of funding already allocated from the EU's research program including the Coal and Steel Research Fund managed by the European Commission. The next phase will require significant levels of investment the first industrial scale demonstration is estimated at EUR 300 million.

Mr Janez Potočnik European Science and Research Commissioner said that “The European Commission is committed to encouraging industry to reduce its CO2 emissions and research plays a vital role in that. The European Steel Technology Platform and the work of the ULCOS programme are good examples of an industry working to develop appropriate technologies to maintain its future competitiveness."

Mr Michel Wurth chairman of European Science and Research Commissioner’s Steering Committee said that “This important decision shows that the European steel industry is strongly committed to making its contribution to the fight against climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it demonstrates that it is capable of living up to this responsibility and at the same time seeking to improve its competitiveness”.

The European steel industry has cut emissions by 50% over the last 40 years. As carbon based technologies approach their physical limits with respect to energy efficiency, the steel industry has decided to invest in long term R&D to come up with breakthrough technologies to decrease CO2 emissions in steelmaking even more drastically. It was for this reason that the European Steel Technology Platform was launched, with the support of the European Commission, at the beginning of 2003. ULCOS, carried out by a consortium of 48 European partners, is the most important collaborative project implemented under the umbrella of FP6 and the Research Fund of Coal and Steel.