India’s Ministry of Steel has declared a formula for defining ‘green steel’, classifying it under three categories based on the quantity of carbon emission per metric ton of the metal produced, a ministry statement said on Friday, December 13.
The ministry is also working on a scheme mandating procurement of green steel for all government-funded projects, it said.
Up to 37 percent of all future steel procurement will be earmarked for green steel as an incentive to lower carbon intensity, as per the proposed scheme.
Steel produced with carbon dioxide emissions of less than 2.2 mt per mt of finished steel would be defined as green steel, the ministry said in the statement.
Steel produced with emissions below 1.6 mt per mt of finished steel would be classified as "five-star green-rated steel," the cleanest of the three.
Steel produced with emissions between 2.0 to 2.2 mt per mt of finished steel will be classified as "three-star green-rated steel" - the least clean of the lot.
This threshold limit for defining the categories will be reviewed every three years, according to the statement.
"The green steel taxonomy will help set a benchmark for adopting global best practices and help India emerge as a global leader in green steel production,” the statement said.