The
SMS Group has secured a contract from
SSAB to engineer, deliver and construct a new electric arc furnace (EAF) for steelmaking at the latter’s site in Oxelösund, Sweden. The scope of supply includes a 190-tonne alternating current electric arc furnace (AC-EAF) capable of processing various raw materials, including fossil-free direct reduced iron (DRI), hot briquetted iron (HBI), or scrap; and with an upper shell diameter of 9.3m, the new EAF will be one of the largest installations in the world for similar applications and help SSAB to scale up the decarbonisation of its production processes.
SSAB is aiming to ‘revolutionise steelmaking’ with two steels that have virtually ‘zero fossil carbon emissions’ — SSAB Fossil-free and SSAB Zero. The latter is based on recycled steel, while SSAB Fossil-free is based on sponge iron reduced with hydrogen instead of coke coal. Both are heated in EAFs powered by fossil-free electricity and other fossil-free fuels. SSAB is planning to be a virtually fossil-free company in around 2030.
SMS will supply all automated features, including: the slag handling and eccentric bottom tapping (EBT) operations; and the advanced electrode control X-Pact SynReg. These, together with advanced robotics applications — such as the X-Pact Sampler — ensure operational safety as well as better precision and productivity without human intervention.
The new EAF will produce high-quality liquid steel, facilitating SSAB’s ‘smooth transition from the integrated route to the electric route without significant disruptions, with side-wall burners, lime/carbon injectors, and off-gas analysers guaranteeing optimised chemical energy utilisation. The scope of supply also includes a yard management system for plant-wide raw material handling with efficient tracking and noise reduction thanks to the use of special containers. The project also represents an extension order to SSAB’s manufacturing execution system (MES), which is currently been implemented by SMS.
Olaf Stalfort, SMS Group’s chief sales officer for Europe, said: “The collaboration between both companies represents a pioneering step towards a sustainable and environment-conscious steel industry. By integrating innovative technologies and using fossil-free materials, the companies are demonstrating their commitment to reducing CO2 emissions and leading the industry towards a greener future.”