In a collaboration with SeAH Steel, Hyundai Steel produced and evaluated low-carbon thick plates1) and steel pipe structures for offshore wind turbine substructures, confirming the suitability of these materials for offshore wind power projects.
SeAH Steel’s offshore wind turbine substructure pipes made with Hyundai Steel’s low-carbon thick plates
For the first time in Korea, Hyundai Steel utilized the “Electric Arc Furnace-Blast Furnace Hybrid Process” to produce 355 MPa-grade thick plates for offshore wind power. These plates were then processed into steel pipes with SeAH Steel, a leader in the Korean steel pipe industry, and underwent pipe evaluation. The results showed that the low-carbon plates met the same quality standards as traditional blast furnace products, leading to a successful outcome.
The low-carbon thick plates, which passed the trial production and pipe evaluation, are produced by combining molten metal from both electric arc furnaces and blast furnaces. This method uses direct reduced iron (DRI) and scrap metal as raw materials, significantly reducing carbon emissions. According to the company’s internal carbon footprint calculations, these plates achieved a carbon emissions reduction of approximately 12% compared to conventional plates produced in 2021.
The success of the trial production and pipe evaluation of the carbon-reducing thick plates is significant, given the increasing demand for the application of low-carbon products in the offshore wind power market. The achievement highlights the potential for broader application of carbon-reducing materials through collaboration between material suppliers and manufacturers. In addition, it confirmed the feasibility of producing low-carbon products using the Electric Arc Furnace-Blast Furnace Hybrid Process. Hyundai Steel plans to develop thick plates with even lower carbon emissions in the future.
Hyundai Steel first unveiled its “Electric Arc Furnace-Blast Furnace Hybrid Process” production system as part of last year’s carbon-neutral roadmap. In the first phase, the process involves mixing carbon-reduced molten metal from electric arc furnaces into the blast furnace process. In the second phase, the company plans to develop a new electric arc furnace and introduce steel produced with approximately 40% less carbon emissions by 2030.
1) Low-carbon thick plate: Thick plates produced using methods that reduce carbon emissions during the manufacturing process.