The steel industry is a big consumer of energy and a big emitter of carbon dioxide. As the world's largest crude steel production and consumption country, China's crude steel production accounts for more than half of the global crude steel production, carbon emissions accounted for more than 60% of the total global steel carbon emissions.

The steel industry is the largest carbon emitter among manufacturing industries, accounting for about 15 percent of the country's total emissions, the data showed. China strives to achieve carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2060, which is an inevitable challenge for carbon emitters, including the steel industry, and must be put into action immediately.

Steel production will be down this year on year

Since last year, China's steel production increased strongly. In 2020, China's crude steel output exceeded 1 billion tons for the first time, setting a record high. From January to February this year, China produced 175 million tons of crude steel, up 12.9 percent year on year.

Yin Ruiyu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out at the 2021 (12th) China Iron and Steel Development Forum held recently that China's crude steel production is huge, resulting in a high share of carbon dioxide emissions from the steel industry in the country's total carbon dioxide emissions. China's iron and steel industry should follow the development path of high quality and reduction. First of all, it should not continue to increase output and cannot export a large number of low value-added steel products.

From Relative Constraint to Absolute Constraint

On February 10 this year, the China Iron and Steel Association issued the "Proposal for Promoting Low Carbon Action in the Iron and Steel Industry", emphasizing that the steel industry will face from the "relative constraints" of carbon intensity to the "absolute constraints" of total carbon emissions.

According to reports, the relevant national ministries and commissions are carrying out the steel industry carbon peak and carbon reduction action plan research, metallurgical industry planning and research institute as a support unit to participate in the relevant work. According to the research results of Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, the path of carbon reduction in steel industry includes six aspects: promoting green layout, saving energy and improving energy efficiency, optimizing energy use and process structure, constructing circular economy industrial chain, applying breakthrough low-carbon technology, system construction and policy system support.

China Baowu Iron & Steel Group Co., the world's largest steelmaker, announced its carbon reduction goals in January this year: propose a low-carbon metallurgical roadmap in 2021, aim to reach carbon peak by 2023, have the capacity to reduce carbon by 30% by 2025, aim to reduce carbon by 30% by 2035, and aim to be carbon neutral by 2050. At the specific implementation level, China Baowu will open up the low-carbon development path of steel industry through scientific and technological innovation; To enhance the efficiency of carbon utilization with wisdom and quality; We will improve the energy mix and increase investment in energy conservation and environmental protection technologies.

As one of the world's largest steel materials and comprehensive service, river steel group co., LTD. Establish "carbon amount to 2022 peak and 2050 carbon neutral" overall goal, set the river on low carbon steel group green development action plan outline, will reach the peak, steady decline, according to the carbon significantly decline, deep decarburization four stages.