ArcelorMittal Gent and Electrabel, GDF SUEZ Group recently invested €400 million on the Arcelor Mittal Gent site. Electrabel commissioned a new power station, a €300 million investment. ArcelorMittal Gent invested a total of €90 million in installing a converter gas recovery unit, connecting the new power station to the ArcelorMittal Gent gas grid, and commissioning a new liquid steel degassing station.
The new power station commissioned by Electrabel, GDF SUEZ Group has the best technology currently available for optimally converting ArcelorMittal Gent's blast-furnace gas and converter gas into electricity. The power station has a capacity of 305 MW, capable of generating 2.4 terawatt-hours of electricity per year – enough to meet the consumption needs of 700,000 homes. In the past, the blast furnace gas was burnt in the Rodenhuize power station. Since the new power station has a higher efficiency of more than 40%, it will emit 70,000 tonnes less CO2 per year and can burn a wider range of gases, including converter gas.
This cooperative venture with ArcelorMittal underscores Electrabel's ambition to be more than just an energy supplier for its customers. Electrabel delivers customised solutions, enabling its customers to optimally manage their energy costs and reduce their ecological footprint.
ArcelorMittal Gent developed its converter gas recovery facility while the new power station was under construction. Since July, the energy-rich gases generated during the steel production process in the converter at the steel shop have no longer been floared off; instead they are recovered and re-used. This so-called 'converter gas' is mixed with blast furnace gas and delivered to the Electrabel power station. To make that possible, a connection was built between the new power station and the ArcelorMittal Gent gas grid. The company will also use some of the converter gas in its own production units to replace natural gas.
Converter gas recovery is the next step in boosting ArcelorMittal Gent's energy efficiency. For years, ArcelorMittal Gent has been a world leader in energy efficiency and in this respect implements the ArcelorMittal strategy to further reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions: specific energy consumption per tonne of steel produced has been reduced by 30% since the 1980s. With converter gas recovery, energy consumption will fall by an additional 4%.
ArcelorMittal Gent commissioned a new degassing station in the steel shop in order to better meet demand from the automotive sector. With this investment, it is now possible to produce steel grades of higher formability that are perfect for car bodywork components. This new unit improves the internal logistics of the steel show, reducing the lead-time for processing liquid steel. Shorter lead-times have a positive impact on the steel shop’s delivery time performance and energy efficiency.
PRESSELECTRABEL
Anne-Sophie Hugé (FR)
+ 32 2 518 60 20
Sarah De Bruyn (NL)
+ 32 2 519 27 69
press@electrabel.com
www.electrabel.com
PRESS ARCELORMITTAL GENT
Jan Cornelis
+ 32 9 347 35 72
www.arcelormittal.com/gent