Update #5 | News from Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs and a New Low-Emissions Steel Coalition

BuildSteel is tracking the sustainability initiatives led by various members of the steel framing industry. The news items below will impact cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Nucor Joins UN Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact

Nucor Corporation, a Charlotte, N.C., steel products manufacturer and SFIA member, recently announced it is joining the United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact. Nucor is the first major industrial company to join the compact, which is aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems to mitigate climate change and ensure access to clean and affordable electricity.

“In order for us to achieve a carbon-free energy future while also meeting the growing demand for energy, it is critical that we embrace all forms of clean, zero-carbon energy sources, from wind, solar and hydro, to nuclear power,” said Leon Topalian, Nucor’s Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer.

To further its commitment, Nucor is working with its electricity suppliers to access 24/7 clean energy at the company’s steel mills. It is actively investing in a number of innovative projects that it believes will accelerate the transition to 24/7 clean energy.  

The Compact was formed in response to the urgent need to drive rapid decarbonization across the global economy. A group of energy buyers, energy suppliers, governments, system operators, solutions providers, investors and other organizations joined together to adopt, enable and advance the transition to a zero-carbon electrical grid. The Compact is a set of principles and actions that stakeholders across the energy ecosystem can commit to in order to drive systemic change. 

Read the compete Nucor release here.

In separate news, Nucor announced that it has made an equity investment in Electra, a Colorado-based start-up developing a process to produce carbon-free iron that can be used to make steel. The company uses renewable energy to refine low-grade iron ores into high-purity iron through electrochemical and hydrometallurgical processes. This material will be used in the steelmaking process to offset other high-quality metallics that come with higher greenhouse gas emissions.

Cleveland-Cliffs Applies for FEED for Large-Scale Carbon Capture

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America and SFIA member, recently announced that its initial phase of research being conducted with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations is coming to a close. Based on the results of the initial study, Cleveland-Cliffs has submitted an application on Monday, Dec. 5 for funding from the DOE’s OCED for the next phase of research for the front-end engineering design (FEED) for large-scale carbon capture at its Burns Harbor integrated iron and steel facility located in Northwest Indiana. 

The Company’s Burns Harbor project aims to capture up to 2.8 million tons of CO2 per year from blast furnace gas with a net carbon capture efficiency of at least 95%. The proposed FEED would be completed over a period of 24 months. The study would be funded 50 percent by Cleveland-Cliffs and 50 percent by the DOE through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriations, which is part of a broader government approach to fund domestic commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Sequestration technology.

Cleveland-Cliffs has existing technical partnerships with the DOE and is the only American steel producer participating in the DOE Better Climate Challenge initiative. The Company is the largest industrial energy user in the DOE’s Better Plants program. Through DOE’s Better Climate Challenge, organizations join a network of market leaders that are stepping forward to work with DOE to plan for their organization’s future success by reducing GHG emissions and sharing replicable pathways to decarbonization.

Read the complete Cleveland-Cliffs news release here.

New Steel Coalition Forms to Reduce Carbon Emissions

An international group of leading steel manufacturers today announced the formation of a coalition to urge the United States and European Union to adopt a global emission standard that incentivizes steelmakers to use the cleanest steel production process available.

The new coalition – the Global Steel Climate Council – supports a global standard that accelerates the transition to low-emission steel and recognizes the potential of the recycled, circular steel model to reduce carbon emissions.

Nucor Corporation and Steel Dynamics, Inc., both members of the Steel Framing Industry Association, are among the founding members of the GSCC.

GSCC’s specific purposes are to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the global steel industry by supporting reduction methods that are technology agnostic, have a system boundary that includes Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and align with a science-based glidepath to achieve a 1.5 degree Celsius scenario by 2050.

“We have the technology to reduce carbon emissions in steel production by 70 percent today,” said Leon Topalian, chair, president and CEO of Nucor.

“This new standard will accelerate the actual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and provide key decision-makers with accurate data to make informed decisions,” said Mark D. Millett, chairman, president, and CEO of Steel Dynamics.

Read the complete GSCC news release here.

Additional Resources

• Update #4 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives
• Update #3 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives 
• Update #2 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives 
• Update #1 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives