News » A Green Deal on Steel video series - episode 2
A Green Deal on Steel video series - episode 2
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This is the second episode in EUROFER's Green Deal on Steel series: the importance of energy in the success of the transition to low-carbon steelmaking.
Energy is key to achieving the steel industry’s low-carbon goals. The transition to carbon-lean steelmaking will require 400 terawatt-hours of CO2-free electricity per year.
This is almost the total electricity demand of France. It is seven times what the steel industry purchases from the grid today. This electricity needs to be ‘green’ and affordable.
Of this, nearly 250 terawatt-hours is needed for the production of 5.5 million tonnes of hydrogen, which would be used in new processes to make ‘green’ steel.
EU policymakers must help create a market for the resulting green steel, which may cost 35 to 100 percent more to produce than it does with the highly optimised processes currently in use.
The benefits to society from the availability of green electricity and green industrial products, such as green steel, are huge – so Europe needs to strive to make the energy transition as quickly and comprehensively as possible.
Brussels, 25 July 2024 – Major indicators in the European steel market show a steeper-than-expected downward trend, further impacting the outlook for this year and the next. Poor demand conditions, driven by ongoing factors such as high energy prices, persistent inflation, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, are exacerbated by a manufacturing crisis affecting the largest steel-using sectors, including construction and automotive. According to EUROFER’s latest Economic and Steel Market Outlook, apparent steel consumption is further deteriorating. After a slump (-3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024, its rebound for the full year has been revised downwards (to +1.4% from +3.2%), as well as for 2025 (+4.1% from +5.6%). Similarly, output in steel-using sectors, after a decline in the first quarter (-1.9%), is projected to experience a deeper-than-expected recession (-1.6% from -1%). A recovery is anticipated only in 2025 (+2.3%). Steel imports continue to show historically high shares (27%).
Third quarter 2024 report. Data up to, and including, first quarter 2024
Picture Copyright: European Union, 2024 Source: EC - Audiovisual Service
Brussels, 18 July 2024 – The re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission paves the way for the continuation of the ambitious initiatives started in her first term. For a stronger and prosperous Europe, defining a pragmatic set of measures within the first 100 days of the new Commission mandate is the right step forward to ensure the success of the EU’s industry transition, if properly implemented. The European Steel Association urges that the Clean Industrial Deal be complemented as a priority by a European Steel Pact, as proposed by the German delegation to the European People’s Party (EPP).