The ultra-low emission transformation of the steel industry has achieved remarkable results
Recently, the "2024(15th) Steel Industry Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Conference" under the guidance of the China Iron and Steel Association and hosted by the Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute was held in Beijing. The reporter learned from the meeting that my country continues to build the world's largest clean production system for steel, and the ultra-low emission transformation of the steel industry has achieved remarkable results. Through the implementation of transformation, effective social investment has exceeded 600 billion yuan.
Our country is the production and consumption center of the world's steel industry. Its steel output is huge and the task of reducing emissions is arduous. The latest data shows that as of now, 43% of the country's crude steel production capacity has completed full-process transformation, 39% of the production capacity has completed key links transformation, pollutant emissions in the steel industry have dropped by 60%, and emission performance has reached the international leading level. Compared with before the ultra-low emission transformation in 2018, the average concentration of PM_2.5 in the 10 cities with concentrated steel production capacity in 2023 will drop by 24%, and the average concentration of PM_2.5 in Tangshan and Handan, which have the most concentrated production capacity, will drop by 31% and 30% respectively.
It is understood that ultra-low emissions break the original traditional concept of focusing on terminal management, and achieve synergy in pollution prevention and control of greenhouse gas emissions by coordinating industrial structure adjustment, transportation structure adjustment, and energy-saving technological transformation. The ultra-low emission transformation of the steel industry puts forward requirements for full-process and full-link transformation in point, line and area for organized emissions, unorganized emissions and clean transportation. In the transformation, the company will give priority to adopting treatment measures such as long-process to short-process steelmaking, raw and fuel substitution, bleed gas recovery, energy-saving technologies, and "revolving iron","revolving water" and "oil-to-electricity" to achieve synergy and efficiency of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. It is estimated that while the steel industry implements ultra-low emission transformation, it can also synergistically reduce carbon emissions by 1% to 2%(about 40 million tons) in addition to offsetting the increased carbon emissions from terminal governance.
After the ultra-low emission transformation, the environmental management level of steel companies has been significantly improved, the factory has taken on a completely new look, and the industrial concentration and proportion of advanced production capacity have increased significantly. Under the active guidance of relevant state departments, all the production capacity of the 10 parent chain steel enterprises in Shandong Province located in the "2+26" cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province and surrounding "2+26" cities have been integrated and relocated to coastal steel production bases, and all blast furnaces below 1000 cubic meters and converters below 100 tons in Hebei Province have been renovated and upgraded. Statistics from the China Steel Association show that as of the end of 2023, the profit margin of enterprises that have completed ultra-low emission transformation is 2.6 times that of other companies.
"In the fields of green, low-carbon and environmental protection, my country's steel industry is determined, the investment is huge, and the results are outstanding." Huang Dao, deputy chief engineer of the China Iron and Steel Association, analyzed that policies such as ultra-low emissions play an important leading and guiding role in promoting green, low-carbon and high-quality development of the steel industry, and have a significant driving effect on investment in environmental protection and energy conservation. More differentiated policies are needed under the new situation.
Liu Bingjiang, chief engineer of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, pointed out that the ultra-low emissions of the steel industry have achieved the integrated development of digitalization, intelligence, greening and traditional industries through technological innovation, policy innovation, and management innovation, providing useful reference for other key industries. Among them, in terms of management innovation, clean transportation requirements have been included in ultra-low emission transformation for the first time, making it possible for new energy heavy trucks to overtake in corners.
At present, the tasks of reducing pollution, carbon reduction, and green and high-quality transformation in the steel industry are still arduous. Liu Bingjiang said that in the next step, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will work with other ministries and commissions to promote the deep integration of green and traditional industries, develop new productive forces, and continue to consolidate the results of green development.
The first is to strengthen confidence and ensure that ultra-low emission transformation comes to an end. There is only more than a year left before the end of 2025 for the ultra-low emission transformation of the steel industry. The target tasks set for 80% of the country's crude steel production capacity to complete the ultra-low emission transformation remain unchanged. The remaining 20% of enterprises that have not completed the ultra-low emission transformation are the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will work with relevant departments to adopt differentiated management measures. At present, there are still more than 400 million tons of crude steel production capacity to complete the final work of transformation, and the focus of work has shifted from key areas to non-key areas. In this situation, the steel industry must maintain strategic focus. Enterprises that have not yet completed the transformation must seize the time to complete the transformation with high quality and quantity. Enterprises that have completed transformation and publicity should pay attention to establishing a long-term mechanism.
The second is to support the excellent and eliminate the poor and protect green and high-quality productivity. The most years when steel companies have implemented ultra-low emission transformation projects are also the years when the industry has the best profitability. Environmental protection support for the best and elimination of the worst has a positive regulating effect on the overall situation of the industry. In the future, the management ideas of supporting the best and eliminating the worst will be more in-depth, differentiated management policies will be clearer, efforts to encourage the advanced and spur the backward will be further increased, and advanced productive forces will be fully released through differentiated policies.
