ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg) has announced that new direct reduction of iron ore (DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) installations at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton, Ontario will reduce carbon emissions by by approximately 3 million tons, which represents approximately 60% of emissions, within the next seven years.
This means the Hamilton plant will transition away from the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace steelmaking production route to the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) – Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) production route, which carries a significantly lower carbon footprint.
ArcelorMittal will introduce new manufacturing processes that contribute to a considerable reduction of CO2 emissions and deliver other positive environmental impacts including the elimination of emissions and flaring from coke making and ironmaking operations.
The investment is contingent on support from the governments of Canada and Ontario. The Government of Canada announced it will invest CAD$400 million in the project. The Company is in discussions with the Government of Ontario regarding its support.
At the heart of the plan is a 2 million ton capacity DRI facility and an EAF facility capable of producing 2.4 million tons of high-quality steel through its existing secondary metallurgy and secondary casting facilities. Modification of the existing EAF facility and continuous casters will also be undertaken to align productivity, quality and energy capabilities between all assets in the new footprint.
The new DRI and EAF will be in production before the end of 2028.