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• Steelmaker’s Port Talbot site is undergoing a £1.25 billion modernization to transition from blast furnace to electric arc furnace steelmaking;
• ABB has been secured by Tata Steel to deliver electrical power distribution and will also deploy electromagnetic stirring under contract from Tenova;
• The historic 125-year old site in Wales will enter a new era of production when the 320-ton capacity EAF comes online in 2028.
The two project scopes by the global technology leader will help ensure safe, efficient and optimized operations when a new 320-ton capacity electric arc furnace (EAF) starts up in 2028.
The global steelmaker is investing more than £1.25 billion at the Welsh plant, inclusive of £500 million in UK Government support, with focus on the energy transition and decarbonization of its operations. The site will shift to low-emission steel recycling, aiming to cut CO₂ emissions by an estimated 90 percent. Tata Steel UK has the ambition to produce fossil-free steel by 2045 and reduce 30 percent of its CO₂ emissions by 2030.
As it begins its work in support of these objectives, ABB will be responsible for the delivery of electrical power distribution equipment, including high and low-voltage switchgear, power transformers and distribution transformers, connected through a power distribution control system across the facility. This will be central to achieving a fully digitally enabled solution for power management and distribution in line with ABB’s ambitions to drive real progress through leaner, cleaner operations.
Under the main contract between Tenova, a leading developer and provider of sustainable solutions for the green transition of the metals industry, and Tata Steel, ABB will deliver its ArcSave® electromagnetic stirrer-based metallurgy technology. This equipment, known as Consteerrer® is jointly developed by ABB and Tenova, under an exclusive global partnership agreement, and explicitly tailored for continuous charging EAFs. With over 165 references worldwide, it brings about numerous advantages, including a 5 to 7 percent increase in EAF productivity, a 3 to 5 percent decrease in energy consumption and an additional 1 percent yield.
It is expected that ABB will commission its technologies by 2027 in time for full operational start-up at Port Talbot. Construction work for Tata Steel’s EAF project is set to begin this year. It will mark the start of a significant transformation in the steelmaking process at the site.
“We’re looking forward to ABB helping us to positively impact the transformation at Port Talbot Steelworks, a site undergoing critical change for the future of UK steelmaking,” said Rajesh Nair, CEO, Tata Steel UK. “Their proven technologies and expertise will support our evolving production processes on site, enabling resource and cost efficiencies for the long-term. We’re looking forward to driving this project forward.”
“Our team has an established relationship with Tata Steel and Tenova and we know that together we can shape operations to benefit how this steel is made, safely and sustainably,” said Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Business Line Manager for Metals, ABB Process Industries. “Our aim is to work with our customer and the various suppliers involved in the project to ensure the timelines for commissioning are met and that the region can continue its rich heritage in steelmaking into the future.”
ABB provides fully integrated automation, electrification and digitalization solutions to metals plants for higher productivity, quality and availability. Using the latest technology and relying on more than 100 years of industry knowhow, ABB supports metals manufacturers to fulfill their product demands in both greenfield and modernization and upgrade projects.
ABB and Tata Steel (tatasteel.com) have established agreements globally, working together to develop innovative models and ways of working with technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of steel production. As industry partners, they have assessed system-level operations across multiple manufacturing plants and production facilities and evaluated where automation, electrification and digital solutions can be used for short-term and long-term gains, including in energy efficiency, decarbonization and circularity.
Tata Steel Group is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence around the world.
ABB (abb.com) is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide.
ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun leaner and cleaner.
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chris.g.brand[.]gb.abb.com 
