� POLICY �
• Added value : INCITE will help to remove informational barriers for public and private investors in industrial transformation but will also support front-runners through flexible permitting rules . It will provide curated information on the environmental performance and economics of key technologies . INCITE technical outputs are also expected to assist sustainable finance actors in verifying taxonomy criteria alignment or conducting credibility checks for transition plans prepared by industrial installations under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive .
Decarbonisation of the steel industry
The steel industry is responsible for around 5 % of CO2 emissions in the EU and
References
( 1 ) The Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive ( IED 2.0 ), European Commission .
( 2 ) Commission Staff Working Document – Evaluation of the Industrial Emissions Directive ( IED ) – SWD ( 2020 ) 181 Final - 23 / 09 / 2020 .
( 3 ) EU climate targets : How to decarbonise the steel sector , JRC 2024 .
INCITE aims to be a central reference point for identifying and analysing the environmental performance of innovative techniques in Europe and beyond .
7 % globally . It needs to develop and commercialise new low- CO2 technologies in order to be in line with the EU ’ s climate targets .
CO2 emissions and energy use in European steel production have already been halved since 1960 , and the sector aims to achieve further cuts of 80- 95 % by 2050 , compared to 1990 levels . The conventional Blast Furnace - Basic Oxygen Furnace production route is highly CO2-intensive ( usually with a carbon footprint of 1.6-2.0 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel produced ) and most EU steel mills are operating close to optimum efficiency . Accordingly , the industry is now increasingly focusing on the implementation of alternative technologies e . g . hydrogen-based ironmaking using direct reduction of iron ore combined with electric arc furnace steelmaking , solid molten electrolysis to decarbonise the sector .
INCITE could play a crucial role for accompanying the decarbonisation of the steel industry by frontloading information on relevant innovative techniques that could be included in the next revision of the Iron and Steel Best Available Technique Reference document ( IS BREF ), expected to start in 2026 ( tentative date ). To this end , a sectoral workshop dedicated to the iron and steel sector shall normally take place in 2025 , it will constitute an important milestone to showcase and exchange on the most promising technologies between industry , MS competent authorities , research and technology organisations , environmental NGOs and European Commission services ( e . g . JRC , RTD , GROW , ENER ).
20 Green Steel World | Issue 15 | November 2024