Liberty Steel Group, a member of the GFG Alliance, announced on July 8 that it had signed a contract with Italian steel equipment manufacturer Danieli to supply two hybrid electric arc furnaces (EAFs) for the Liberty Ostrava steel mill in the Czech Republic.
The investment of CZK 8.6 billion (approximately EUR 350 million) will be the largest investment in the steel plant since its inception and is the first step in LIBERTY Ostrava's plan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The new kilns, the first of their kind in Europe, will have a total capacity of 3.5 million tons per year and will reduce overall CO2 emissions in Ostrava by more than 80% by 2027.
The two 200-ton furnaces use Danieli's innovative and patented QONE power electronics technology to control arc current and voltage for more efficient and stable power delivery to the furnace. This will allow the furnaces to be more flexible in charge mixtures of large amounts of pig iron and direct reduced iron (DRI/HRI) and up to 100% scrap in the second phase of the project.
In doing so, the plant will reduce its dependence on imported coal and iron ore and provide even greater production flexibility.
The new furnaces are expected to be commissioned in 2025, and in 2027 they will be able to melt 100% scrap after the planned installation of a 400 kV power line at the steel plant in Ostrava.
