26.02.2021. As Europe’s first steel producer, Salzgitter AG has obtained two conformity statements certified in line with TÜV Süd’s VERIsteel procedure. The process provides proof of product-specific CO2 emissions in steel production and flanks the process of decarbonisation.
The low CO2 steel grades are produced in Peine’s mini mill in combination with the steelworks galvanising plant in Salzgitter. These steel grades have met with great interest from customers operating in range of different sectors.
Based on data from 2018, TÜV Süd verified the carbon footprint procedures for two process routes for producing strip steel. A comparison of the two baselines shows that switching steel production process from the conventional blast furnace route to the electro-steel route achieves reductions of more than 75 % in the CO2 footprint of slabs and more than 66 % in that of galvanised coils.
VERIsteel procedure
The mapping of all the relevant processes and material flows is required to produce evidence of product-specific CO2 emissions. TÜV Süd developed the VERIsteel procedure based on DIN EN ISO/IEC 17029 and other international standards specifically for this purpose. With the first two conformity statements certified to this procedure, TÜV Süd as a provider of testing and certification services confirms the correct definition of the baseline for Salzgitter AG’s two process routes.
Reiner Block, CEO of Division Industry Service, TÜV Süd AG:
“Standardisation is the prerequisite for establishing the comparability of processes and products. TÜV Süd’s neutral validation and verification has provided Salzgitter AG with the basis for a sound CO2 statement regarding its production and its products, paving the way for it to realise further stages of decarbonisation in a targeted manner.”
Ulrich Grethe, member of the Group Management Board and Chairman of the Management Board of Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH:
“We are the first European producer to obtain a conformity statement for green steel products. Many of our customers consider it important to take delivery of a real, physical reduced-CO2 product now rather than being satisfied with more or less theoretical CO2 footprint projections. Going forward, we will be consistently pursuing the path toward decarbonisation with SALCOS – SAlzgitter Low CO2-Steelmaking. This innovation project enables us to switch entirely from conventional steel production to hydrogen- and natural gas-based processes, which enables CO2 to be lowered by up to 95 %. The political and economic framework conditions for this to happen must be set in place as quickly as possible.”
(Source: Salzgitter AG)
