British Steel has reiterated its commitment to decarbonisation and reducing emissions following today’s publication of the UK’s 6th Carbon Budget.
The budget included a recommendation from the Climate Change Committee that primary steelmaking operations are decarbonised by 2035.
A British Steel spokesman said: “Steel is vital to modern economies and over the coming decades, global demand is expected to grow to meet rising social and economic need. It’s the world’s most recycled material and our steel can play a central role in transitioning to a low-carbon, circular economy.
“We’re acutely aware of our environmental commitments and have ambitious plans to invest in a range of technologies to reduce the carbon intensity of our operations, with solutions that are globally recognised and acceptable to customers.
“Our new owners have committed to wide-ranging investment of £1.2 billion, which is enabling us to put our company on a more sustainable footing. A significant portion of this money will be invested in new technology in our drive to reduce emissions, support clean growth and protect and create new jobs.
“We’re also a member of the Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) partnership, which aims to create the world’s first net zero industrial cluster through low carbon hydrogen, carbon capture and negative emissions, known as carbon removal technology. The development of the ZCH project with the proposed installation of a dual Carbon Capture Storage and hydrogen supply pipeline, will afford us the opportunity to utilise a range of techniques to reduce our carbon footprint.
“The ZCH project complements the long-term decarbonising technology roadmap of British Steel, and the government has been supportive of the measures we have in place to significantly improve our manufacturing operations, energy efficiency and environmental performance in agreed timescales.
“If the UK Government accepts the Climate Change Committee’s guidance to decarbonise primary steelmaking by 2035, we’ll require government to provide site specific support for a rapid transition which will partially involve technologies not yet available on an industrial scale. The UK’s policies will also need to ensure its steelmakers remain competitive at home and abroad, enabling this country’s manufacturers to supply the steel society needs while reducing global emissions.”