UK-based steelmaker Liberty Steel Group has announced that it has signed a supply contract for a 160-tonne low carbon emissions electric arc furnace from Italian plantmaker Danieli to be built at its Whyalla plant in Australia to phase out coal-based steelmaking.
The new electric arc furnace, which will increase steelmaking capacity at Whyalla from an annual one million mt to over 1.5 million mt, is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent by 2025 compared with traditional blast furnace production.
The construction of the furnace is expected to be completed in 2025 replacing the existing coke ovens and blast furnace.
In addition, Liberty will install a direct reduction plant with an annual capacity of 1.8 million mt at the Whyalla plant, which will be able to process local magnetite ore to produce direct reduced iron.