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Corus Invests in Steelworks to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions
May 13, 2010 Corus recently launched a new plant at its Port Talbot steelworks that will reduce the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by some 240,000 tonnes per year. Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, joined Tata Steel Europe CEO Kirby Adams in celebrating the completion of the £60 million investment.
“This investment has been the largest in the U.K. steel industry since Tata acquired Corus in 2007,” said Adams. “In order to be more competitive in the global steel market, this project had to be delivered.”
Adams called on the Welsh Assembly Government to work closely with the steel industry and its customers for mutual benefit. “The economic recovery is fragile and times are uncertain. But we have a long-term vision for sustainable steelmaking in Wales,” he added. “Through this and other key investments, we have shown our commitment to growing our business in Wales. The government can help create a business and regulatory environment in which further investment becomes even more attractive.”
The £60 million investment has created a facility that will complement Wales’ commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3% annually. The project recovers gas from the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking plant and reuses it elsewhere in the steelworks. The facility is also expected to reduce the emission of dust (known as PM10s), as well as to halve the Port Talbot works’ external requirement for natural gas.
“Part of Tata Steel’s vision is to set the global steel industry benchmark for corporate citizenship. By capturing the process gas emitted from the Port Talbot steel converters, we are contributing further to that goal,” Adams said.
Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking operations primarily in the U.K. and the Netherlands, the company supplies steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering, and other demanding markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, one of the world’s top 10 steel producers. The combined enterprise has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.