ABB reported July 29 that it will provide electrical power supply management/distribution and electromagnetic stirring at Tata Steel U.K.’s 125-year-old Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales, U.K. These combined projects will help ensure safe, efficient and optimized operations when the plant’s new 320-ton-capacity electric arc furnace (EAF) starts up in 2028 (Figure 1).
The global steelmaker is investing more than £1.25 billion at the Welsh plant. The project includes £500 million in U.K. government support, which is focused on energy transition and decarbonizing the steelworks’ operations. The site will shift from running blast furnaces to low-emission steel recycling, and aims to cut CO2 emissions by an estimated 90%. Tata Steel U.K. hopes produce fossil-free steel by 2045, and reduce its CO2 emissions 30% by 2030.
To support these objectives, ABB will be responsible for delivering electrical power distribution equipment, including high and low-voltage switchgear, power transformers and distribution transformers, connected through a plantwide, power-distribution control system. This will be central to achieving a fully, digitally enabled solution for power management and distribution in line with ABB’s plans to drive progress via leaner, cleaner operations.
As part of the main contract between Tata and Tenova, a provider of sustainable solutions for green transition in the metals industry, ABB will deliver its ArcSave electromagnetic, stirrer-based metallurgy technology (Figure 2). This equipment, known as Consteerrer, is jointly developed by ABB and Tenova under an exclusive global partnership agreement, and tailored for continuous-charging EAFs. With more than 165 references worldwide, it provides many advantages, including a 5-7% increase in EAF productivity, 3-5% decrease in energy consumption, and 1% in additional yield.
It’s expected that ABB will commission its technologies by 2027 in time for full operational start-up at Port Talbot. Construction work for Tata Steel’s EAF project is set to begin this year. It will mark the start of a transformation in the steelmaking process at the site.
“We’re looking forward to ABB helping us to positively impact the transformation at Port Talbot Steelworks, a site undergoing critical change for the future of U.K. steelmaking,” said Rajesh Nair, CEO, Tata Steel U.K. “Their proven technologies and expertise will support our evolving production processes onsite, enabling resource and cost efficiencies for the long-term. We’re looking forward to driving this project forward.”
Frederik Esterhuizen, global business manager for metals at ABB Process Industries, adds, “Our team has an established relationship with Tata Steel and Tenova, and we know that together we can shape operations to benefit how this steel is made, safely and sustainably. Our aim is to work with our customer and the various suppliers involved in the project to ensure the timelines for commissioning are met, and that the region can continue its rich heritage in steelmaking into the future.”
