The Green Steel Challenge

As The Green Steel Challenge wraps up an incredible second season, hosts Astrid, James, and Mike take a look back at the biggest moments, key insights, and game-changing innovations that have shaped the conversation on the future of sustainable steel.From breakthrough technologies to bold industry commitments, this season has featured some of the most influential voices in the field.What have we learned? What challenges still lie ahead? And what’s next for the industry? Join us for a reflective discussion about the season’s biggest takeaways and a look at what’s coming in the world of green steel.

It is vital that GHG emissions are measured and assessed in a standard and meaningful manner. Today, we talk with Annie Heaton, who is CEO of ResponsibleSteel, an organisation aiming to establish such a standard with the global steel industry. She describes the complex process of emissions measurement and the diverse technical and political issues involved. We also have a fresh perspective on how the Green Steel Challenge is developing around the worldWe’re thrilled to have her join the conversation on building a more sustainable future.

There is much discussion about the Middle East becoming a regional or global hub for green iron (or steel) production, driven by inter alia, plentiful renewable and nuclear energy coupled to carbon capture opportunities. Here we chat with Michael Rion, Chief Commercial Officer of Emsteel, the largest steel producer in the UAE and one of the biggest in the region.  The discussion revolves around how this prediction is beginning to become reality at Emsteel. Other issues, such as how new steel products can reduce emissions, are also raised as part of how the UAE is approaching the Green Steel Challenge. This is indeed a peek into the future of global iron and steelmaking.

Accurately measuring or calculating GHG emissions in a standard manner is critical in any decarbonisation process. Today, we speak with Adina Renee Adler, Executive Director of the Global Steel Climate Council (GSSC), a non-profit organisation aiming to establish such a standard within the global steel industry. She describes the extremely tricky process of emissions measurement, the pitfalls involved and how this space might develop. We also have a fresh perspective on how the Green Steel Challenge is developing around the world.    

Today, Sanjiv Lamba, CEO of Linde, joins us for an engaging conversation! Linde, a global leader in industrial gases and engineering, is at the forefront of developing solutions that drive productivity while supporting sustainability and decarbonisation efforts worldwide.From chemicals & energy to manufacturing, metals, and mining, Linde’s expertise spans a variety of industries. Their advanced gas processing technologies are helping businesses improve efficiency, expand operations, and reduce emissions.

Hydrogen is expected to be a key factor not only in steel industry decarbonisation but in much of manufacture and transportation, too, where the use of coal or hydrocarbons has previously been prevalent. Developing scalable technologies and funding the capital required for future hydrogen supply is very much a key to the Green Steel Challenge and the industry in general. In this episode, we talk to Pierre-Etienne Franc, co-founder and Chairman of FiveT Hydrogen, which is the world’s largest fund dedicated to low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure. The challenges and their solutions are eloquently described and discussed, and some very interesting conclusions are drawn as to how the future of Green Steel may look.  

Many consider the HyBrit project to be the original ore-based iron and steel-making decarbonisation project. One of the leaders behind that project is Martin Pei, the CTO of SSAB, based in Sweden, who also has steelmaking operations in Finland and the US. Here, we are lucky enough to hear how that process was developed, where it is now, and how it will fit in with the future SSAB. The story is critical in understanding how the European steel industry will inevitably have to fundamentally adapt. In addition, we learn how SSAB is already producing SSAB Zero in the US. This is the world’s first emission-free steel of its kind, which is made from recycled steel and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas.

Tenova is the metals technology part of Techint, an Italian Argentine conglomerate that also owns the steelmaking companies Ternium and Tenaris, amongst others.  Today, we talk to its CEO, Roberto Pancaldi, about how Tenova is playing a critical role in the Green Steel Challenge, especially regarding its ENERGIRON DRI and electric arc furnace (EAF). He offers an honest appraisal of where we currently stand in all regions of the world and how the journey may continue.

Electrolysis is seen by many as being the end game of the Green Steel Challenge. In this episode, we sit down with Sandeep Nijhawa, CEO of Electra, one of the leaders in the use of “cold” hydrometallurgy to electrolyse iron-bearing ores to pure iron, with oxygen as the main by-product in a very low carbon process. He describes an enthralling journey so far for this Boulder, Colorado-based start-up that is on track to redefine ore-based steelmaking. With Nucor and BHP as investors, it makes for a very interesting story.