To advance sustainable steel production, the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the nation’s largest government-owned steel producer, has partnered with BHP, a leading global resources company, to explore and promote lower carbon steelmaking technologies. The collaboration follows the signing of the MoU between the two companies, aimed at addressing the decarbonisation of steel manufacturing in India.
The partnership is focused on decarbonising SAIL’s integrated steel plants, which operate through the Blast Furnace (BF) route. As part of the agreement, the two organizations are already working on various initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Key areas of exploration include the use of alternative reductants like hydrogen and biochar in the blast furnace process, with an emphasis on building local research and development capabilities to accelerate the decarbonisation transition.
SAIL Chairman, Amarendu Prakash, expressed the importance of this collaboration in meeting climate goals. ‘SAIL is looking forward to this collaboration with BHP as a step forward towards developing sustainable methods of steel production. The steel sector’s alignment with climate commitments is non-negotiable, and SAIL is committed to addressing climate change by fostering an innovative future for the industry in India,’ he said.
BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Rag Udd, highlighted the company’s long-standing relationship with SAIL and the need for collaborative efforts. ‘Decarbonising this industry is a challenge that we cannot meet alone. Together, we can leverage our shared expertise and resources to support the development of technologies that have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the near and long term,’ he said.
