Belgian company ArcelorMittal has announced the start of cooperation with engineering company Luminus Solutions, wastewater treatment company Aquafin and renewable energy investor FINEG in order to develop a new sustainable steam-powered energy infrastructure at its plant in Ghent.
As part of the Aquafin project, a large-scale sewage sludge processing facility is being built for approximately 4 million residents of the region. The process generates high-pressure steam, which will be used in a newly built 1.3 MW steam turbine operated by Luminus Solutions.
Conversion of waste steam into industrial heat and environmentally friendly energy
The turbine converts high-pressure steam into low-pressure steam for steel production and into environmentally friendly electricity, which will be supplied back to Aquafin. ArcelorMittal will introduce low-pressure steam into its steelmaking plants, reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
The project is estimated at more than 12 million euros and is fully funded by FINEG through its subsidiary FINARMIT. According to the main stages of the project, Aquafin will start supplying high-pressure steam in August 2026, and the steam turbine system should be fully operational by the end of 2026. Starting in 2027, Aquafin will supply low-pressure steam to ArcelorMittal in Belgium.
Belgium-based ArcelorMittal emphasized that using steam in steel production helps replace fossil fuels and strengthens its broader strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Steelorbis.com
