Testimonials

Corus chooses GDF SUEZ Global Energy for flexible energy purchasing

The Corus Group, owned by Indian company Tata Steel since 2007, supplies steel in countries including the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Belgium, France, and Norway. By choosing GDF SUEZ Global Energy, the steel giant opts for reliability and flexibility.

Corus is an international company with more than 11,000 employees in the Netherlands, a large number of those are employed in IJmuiden. This site produces seven million tonnes of high-quality steel each year, which is used in the construction, automotive, and packaging industry. The annual turnover of Corus in IJmuiden amounts to some 3.2 billion Euro.

Environment

Care for the environment is an important pillar of this steel company - not only because Corus believes it has a social obligation to do so, but also in order to secure the company’s continuity. Harmful environmental effects of operating activities and products are limited as much as possible by applying sustainable production methods, and that leads to an improved environmental performance. The company also recycles many waste products that are released during the production process.

For more than 20 years, the company has been working hard on energy savings - the energy consumption per tonne of produced steel fell by almost 30% during the past two decades. Benchmarking exercises demonstrated that Corus is now one of the ten most energy-efficient steel producers in the world. Within the framework of new ambitious climate targets, Corus wants to reduce its consumption by another 15% by 2020.

Electricity and Natural Gas

Corus has been working together with GDF SUEZ Global Energy in terms of electricity supplies for some time. However, recently Corus signed new contracts with GDF SUEZ Global Energy for a significant part of its gas supplies.

Energy Account Manager Bart Bartelds said that many gases are released during Corus’ production process. “We re-use those in our operating processes and also to generate electricity. We also need some 3 TWh of natural gas per year for our processes.”

Reliable supplies are of crucial importance to Corus, comments Bartelds. That is why they were seeking strong partners for gas and electricity and found those in GDF SUEZ Global Energy. “You choose the parties with whom you believe you can enter into a strategic alliance”, argues Bartelds.“ That is why we signed two ‘framework contracts’ with GDF SUEZ Global Energy in recent months, including a number of term sheets to cover part of our annual consumption for a purchase period of three years.”

Flexibility

Flexibility is key, according to Bartelds. The supply is also aligned to the variable purchase pattern that characterises the IJmuiden site. “The quality of our processes is highly dependent on reliable energy supplies”, says Bartelds.

The purchaser of Corus says that in his co-operation with GDF SUEZ Global Energy he is looking for tailored solutions, support, and advice. That should help his company to remain in the world top of steel companies in terms of energy consumption. Bartelds is convinced that GDF SUEZ Global Energy can help to realise this ambition. “The company has a keen eye for the client’s needs and does more than the minimum required. It is a partner who helps to think up solutions that provide added value to both parties. I also like the fact that GDF SUEZ Global Energy gives us access to realtime commodity-markets information and that gives us more insight into the development of energy prices, from minute to minute if needs be.”