Construction works are already in full swing for the largest climate action programme in Austria. By contracting Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH to supply an electric arc furnace (EAF), voestalpine has taken an important next step in realising this major project. The EAF is the technological centrepiece of the transformation towards steel production powered by green electricity.
Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH, based in Linz, will be responsible for installing all the equipment required for the EAF’s processes, including automation, power supply, capacitor bank, conveyor technology, heat recovery, de-dusting, and assembly and start-up monitoring.
Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG, explains:
“In launching greentec steel, we are entering the next generation of steel production. Awarding the contract and ordering the main system for our plant in Linz marks another important milestone.”
Hubert Zajicek, a member of voestalpine AG’s management board and head of the company’s Linz-based steel division, explains:
“Primetals Technologies Austria was the clear winner in terms of what it offered both commercially and technically. Together, we will start in on the technical implementation of this demanding project.”
The EAF will have a capacity of 180 tonnes per charge and start operating in 2027. The contract for the EAF at the company’s plant in Donawitz was awarded to Italian machine manufacturers Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A. in summer 2023.
Austria’s largest climate action programme
To play its part in protecting the climate, voestalpine has devised an ambitious phased plan: greentec steel. The first planned step is to replace one blast furnace at the Linz plant and one at the Donawitz plant with EAFs powered by green electricity.
Converting to this technology will enable the group to reduce its emissions by up to 30% starting in 2027, which represents a decrease of almost 4 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. As a result, once the two EAFs are switched on in 2027, it will be possible to cut Austria’s national CO₂ emissions by around 5%.
