Kobe Steel, Ltd. has begun considering the installation of a scrap melting furnace at its Kakogawa Works in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, and expects to invest approximately ¥100 billion. The company is targeting the start of operations in the first half of the 2030s.
Kobe Steel, Ltd. has begun considering the installation of a scrap melting furnace at its Kakogawa Works as part of the phased decarbonization of its steel business. The estimated investment is approximately ¥100 billion, and the company is targeting the start of operations in the first half of the 2030s.
The new facility will enable a molten-steel blending process in which conventional blast-furnace hot metal and molten steel produced in the scrap melting furnace are mixed in a basic oxygen furnace, allowing large volumes of scrap to be charged. This is expected to reduce the amount of blast-furnace hot metal used, cut CO2 emissions and promote resource recycling.
The new facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of 700,000 tonnes, while maintaining quality and grade at levels equivalent to those of existing products.
According to the materials released, operations are targeted to begin in the first half of the 2030s.