Domestic First! Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Zero-Carbon High-Grade Thin Steel Plant Project Commences Construction

On April 11th, the Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Zero-Carbon High-Grade Thin Steel Plant project officially commenced construction. This project represents the first domestic "hydrogen-based shaft furnace + electric furnace" short-process smelting production line for high-grade thin steel with near-zero carbon, marking a significant milestone in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation and development of the steel industry.

The total investment in the Zero-Carbon High-Grade Thin Steel Plant project is approximately 4.5 billion yuan. The main equipment includes a 220-ton high-efficiency green electric furnace, refining facilities, a 2150mm single-strand slab continuous casting machine, and related supporting auxiliary facilities. Through digital design and intelligent empowerment, this project aims to create a greener and smarter zero-carbon demonstration plant. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, with an annual production capacity of approximately 1.8 million tons of zero-carbon steel sheets.

As a pioneer and innovator in the green transformation of the steel industry, Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel has deeply explored the integration and coordinated development of hydrogen energy and steel. They have innovatively applied the "hydrogen-based shaft furnace + electric furnace" short-process smelting production to produce green high-grade thin steel, overcoming challenges in electric furnace smelting of high-quality automotive panels and silicon steel products. They have developed efficient control technologies for low nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, residual elements, and inclusions in electric furnace smelting of high-grade plates, achieving stable manufacturing and scale supply of high-quality automotive panels and silicon steel products.

It is worth mentioning that since the commissioning of the initial phase of the Zero-Carbon High-Grade Thin Steel Plant project—a domestic first million-ton-level hydrogen-based shaft furnace on December 23, 2023—it has successfully produced green direct reduced iron in a safe and smooth manner, continuously increasing the proportion of hydrogen gas used in the shaft furnace.

Upon completion of the Zero-Carbon High-Grade Thin Steel Plant project, it will primarily produce near-zero-carbon billets using "hydrogen-based shaft furnace direct reduced iron + scrap steel" as the main raw materials, utilizing existing rolling facilities to produce high-grade thin steel products and fully utilizing green electricity. This will form the complete construction of Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel's zero-carbon demonstration plant. It is estimated that after the project is put into operation, compared to traditional "blast furnace + converter" long-process technologies of equivalent production scale, the entire process will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3.14 million tons, and subsequently achieve a fully carbon-neutral factory through carbon capture, forest carbon sinks, and other measures.