Steps being taken to encourage green steel

14 Feb 2023 CW Team

According to India's first, second, and third Biennial Update Reports (BURs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), for the years 2010, 2014, and 2016, the emissions from the iron and steel sector were 95.998 million tonnes CO 2 , 154.678 million tonnes CO 2 , and 135.420 million tonnes CO 2 , respectively.

The Ministry of Steel is dedicated to achieve the net-zero goal by 2070. Towards this goal, the steel industry's short-term (FY 2030) concentration is on reducing carbon emissions through the promotion of resource and energy efficiency as well as renewable energy. The use of green hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage are the areas of attention for the medium term (2030-2047). Disruptive new technological advancements can aid in the transition to net-zero over the long period (2047-2070). Ministry of Steel is constantly interacting with different stakeholders for this purpose.

Following are some actions taken to encourage decarbonisation in the steel industry:- i. The Steel Scrap Recycling Policy, 2019, increases the supply of domestically produced scrap to lower the need for coal in the production of steel.

ii. The National Green Hydrogen Mission for environmentally friendly hydrogen production and use has been declared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). A stakeholder in the Mission is now the steel industry.

iii. The Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicles Scrapping Facility) Rules, which go into effect in September 2021, will make more scrap available to the steel industry. iv. The National Solar Mission, started by MNRE in January 2010, encourages the use of solar power while also assisting in lowering steel sector emissions.

v. The National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency's Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) system incentivizes the steel industry to cut back on energy use.

vi. For modernization and expansion projects, the steel industry has adopted the Best Available Technologies (BAT) that are now being used globally.

vii. Steel factories have adopted the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Model Projects for Energy Efficiency Improvement.

The ministry is concentrating on educating manufacturers about the growing market for green steel. Faggan Singh Kulaste, the Union Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development, provided this information in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.