Production of green steel in Ukraine can reduce global carbon emissions

Production of green steel in Ukraine can reduce global carbon emissions shutterstock
Katerina Belousova

Ukraine will be able to replace Russia and China on European markets in a number of sectors

The project coordinator of the Office of Reforms of the Cabinet of Ministers, Maryna Denysyuk, said that creation of new green steel factories in Ukraine, in particular during post-war recovery, will help industry to get rid of part of Scope 3 indirect emissions.

Ukraine has a significant amount of raw materials and the potential to produce 140 GW of wind and 100 GW of solar energy, in particular for the production of hydrogen, which is necessary for the production of green steel, she said at to the national annual congress of environmentalists: "Environmental safety of business-2023. Communities in environmental restoration".

"We will have green steel, because we have raw materials for this," she emphasized Denisyuk. - Why emissions? Scope 3, why emissions from transportation? Come to us, build new factories already in Ukraine. After all, we have everything we need."

As you know, currently the only industrial technology for the production of green steel is smelting in electric arc furnaces using scrap as raw material.

It is worth noting that one of the foundations of decarbonization of industry is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in value chains, namely direct emissions of Scope 1 and 2, as well as indirect emissions (Scope 3). These include emissions that the company does not directly influence and that are related to purchased goods and services. That is, the production of green steel in close proximity to raw materials will help in the global fight against climate change.

In addition, the industry's green transition will allow companies outside the EU to avoid paying the CBAM carbon tax and buying carbon allowances in the bloc.

Denysyuk emphasized that Ukraine will be able to replace Russia and China on the European markets in a number of sectors, as it has all the basic components for this.

As you know, the group Metinvest in June 2023 announced its intention to produce DRI products, i.e green steel, at its reconstructed plants in Mariupol and Avdiivka, in Donetsk region, after the deoccupation. And also join the green transition of Ukraine and Europe.

"A big advantage is that magnetite iron ore is mined in Ukraine, which can be enriched to the quality of DRI and HBI [hot briquetted iron – ed.] using already known technologies. All that is needed for this is energy," said the company's general director Yuriy Ryzhenkov.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine can and will definitely become a green energy hub for Europe.

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