The Board of Directors of Severstal, one of the world's largest vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has approved a public target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It assumes that by 2023 the company's facilities will reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions by 3% compared to the level of 2020. This is the first stage of a long-term strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
It is planned that this goal will be achieved through a number of investment projects, and organizational and technical measures. Among the most effective projects from the point of view of reducing CO2 emissions are the construction of mill 170, the organization of metal blowing with argon in the steel-pouring ladle from the after-casting release, an increase in the share of sinter ore from the Yakovlevsky GOK in the sinter batch, the technical re-equipment of the solid fuel preparation department, the launch of gas-utilization compressorless turbines No. 16 and 25, etc.
In addition, taking into account the earlier decision to implement the project to re-equip the gas cleaning equipment of the sinter processing plant at the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant, the company was revised to a more ambitious long-term goal of the company to reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Now the goal is to reduce air emissions by 13% (by 66.5 thousand tons) by 2025 compared to the 2017 level. (The previously announced target was a 7% reduction.)
“We are unequivocally committed to reducing environmental impact and recognize that it is critical for the metals industry to reduce direct and indirect emissions, including greenhouse gases, and contribution to global efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, we are not only fulfilling the already declared obligations, but also taking on new ones.
The goal of reducing the intensity of greenhouse gases for the next three years, which we set, is supported by specific measures of the investment program. Our stakeholders can be confident that the 3% cut is a near-term commitment, not an abstract promise.
As a vertically integrated company, we also control and account for at all stages of the extraction of raw materials and the production of products, "said Alexander Shevelev, CEO of Severstal.
In 2019, the company's investments in environmental projects amounted to about 750 million rubles. In the first half of 2020, the company has already invested 1.34 billion rubles in environmental measures.
For reference:
Since 1990, the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions during steel production at the Cherepovets Steel Works (Severstal's main asset) decreased by 43%. According to the World Steel Association - Worldsteel, Severstal is in the first quartile of the steel industry companies with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. Specific greenhouse gas emissions by CherMK in 2019 amounted to 2.08 tons of CO2 equivalent /ton of liquid steel (coverage areas 1–3). Over the past year, Severstal climbed three ranks in the Worldsteel ranking with the lowest specific greenhouse gas emissions and took 13th place among 64 companies with comparable technologies.
Severstal is the first of Russian companies in the industry took part in the Worldsteel "Step up" program, which is aimed at finding production processes along the entire production chain that can be improved to achieve the best results in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. According to expert estimates, the greatest effect is possible from the introduction and development of innovative technologies that are more efficient ways to generate electricity, reduce consumption factors in the blast furnace and steelmaking processes, use better quality raw materials.
More materials here - https://www. severstal.com/rus/sustaiable-developmet
