British Steel’s Chris Vaughan from Scunthorpe will be among the speakers at the launch of UK Steel’s new report ‘Net Zero Steel – A Vision for the Future of UK Steel Production’ into how the industry can build a greener future.
The report, developed in close collaboration with BEIS and the trade unions at the request of the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will be published on July 12. In it, the steel sector sets out how it could decarbonise by 2035, the technologies that will need to be deployed, and the policy framework that must be developed in order to secure the future of a net-zero steel sector in the UK.
British Steel is working towards a phased reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030, 2035 and 2050, in line with UK commitments to the Paris Agreement. And Chris, British Steel’s Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Director, said: “The steel we make can play a central role in transitioning to a low-carbon, circular economy and we’ve ambitious plans to invest in a range of technologies to reduce the carbon intensity of our operations, with solutions that are globally recognised and accepted.
“We publicly launched these plans in October 2021 under our low-carbon roadmap, and we’re now undertaking a feasibility study into switching from natural gas to green hydrogen as a fuel source for re-heating furnaces. If the study is successful, we will undertake an industrial-scale demonstration which could see the technology developed and rolled out across all our operations including our main manufacturing base in Scunthorpe. It could also be adopted by other UK steelmakers.
“Embracing new technology and ways of working will help our drive to reduce emissions and support clean growth. The ‘Net Zero Steel’ report is a significant step forward for our industry and I look forward to speaking at the launch.”
Chris will be joined at the event by the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Mike Thompson, Chief Economist at the Climate Change Committee, Gareth Stace, Director General, UK Steel, and the report author, Frank Aaskov, Energy & Climate Change Policy Manager, UK Steel.
