Voestalpine receives 790-tonne electric arc furnace

Voestalpine has received the components for a new electric arc furnace at its Linz plant, ORF reported on Monday. The parts weigh 790 tonnes in total and are now being assembled into an operational facility.

The main components were manufactured in Germany, Italy and Turkey and delivered to Linz in several shipments, mainly by sea.

The furnace is scheduled to begin operating in the first half of 2027. It is expected to produce about 1.6 million tonnes of steel a year with a lower carbon footprint.

Voestalpine aims to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 per cent by 2029 compared with 2019. The source says this is equivalent to almost five per cent of Austria’s annual carbon dioxide emissions.

Construction work at voestalpine’s Linz and Donawitz plants is due to be completed by the end of 2026. The first melts in the new electric arc furnaces are planned for the first half of 2027, followed by testing and trial operations before regular production begins.