Swiss Steel pushes to be green steel market leader in Europe

Europe’s largest steel producer using the electric arc furnace, Swiss Steel Group has claimed to have cut the emissions associated with its product by 78% more when compared with producers using blast furnaces. 

Swiss Steel Group works exclusively with high-grade steel scrap. This measure massively reduces the CO2 footprint compared to the traditional process of making new steel from mined iron ore. The better the quality of the scrap, the better and more environmentally friendly and sustainable the steel produced. This is an important prerequisite for producing so-called “Green Steel”.

Read more: 60% reduction in fossil fuel use if steel scrap is used properly, report claims

"Sustainable steel production based on electric arc furnace technology is part of our DNA. Swiss Steel Group is already one of the most efficient producers of CO2-reduced steel. We will lead the change to green steel in Europe, expand our leading position in environmentally friendly steel production and at the same time clearly improve efficiency. Sustainability to us is not just a business function, but a social obligation," said Frank Koch, CEO of Swiss Steel Group.

The steelmaker has invested around €60 million in a new walking beam furnace and other equipment at the Steeltec plant in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland. This is one of the largest investments for the area and the company's largest in recent years.

Swiss Steel Group says that the new furnace has improved the rolling mill's efficiency "considerably and consistently". As a result of its economical use of gas, and despite increased capacity and larger volume, the furnace requires around 13% less gas than the old installation.

The heat from the furnace is also being used to preheat the steel billets before they enter the furnace. Also, a "good portion" of remaining waste heat is fed into the city of Lucerne’s district heating system.

Overall, the company claims, Steeltec has lowered its annual CO2 emissions by almost 10% by introducing innovations at the rolling mill.

Read more: Steeling the future: Using hydrogen to make green steel

The steelmaker says that the availability of green energy has been key to the process of cutting CO2 emissions. Recently, production at the Swiss plant switched entirely to electricity supplied by regional hydropower, which has resulted in a CO2 emission value far below the average.

"Intensive analysis, as well as on-site visits and meetings with all parts of the Group, have shown me the tremendous potential of Swiss Steel Group. The Group is on the right production route, has an extensive product portfolio and produces outstanding quality," Frank Koch said at wire 2022.

"We are firmly committed to continuing to consistently improve our leading position in low-emission green steel until we have reached net zero for CO2 emissions."

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