Steel minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday urged the industry to target reducing carbon emission by 30-40% in the next eight years and pursue alternative forms of steel-making using steel scrap as the raw material.
Speaking at a seminar organised jointly by Ficci and NMDC, Scindia said carbon emission by Indian steel producers is higher at 2.55 tonne/tonne of crude steel production compared with the global average of 1.85 tonne.
“I think it is about time that we commit ourselves to reducing our carbon footprint, our carbon emission by 30-40% by 2030,” he said, adding that the country’s steel producers should stress on the gradual decarbonisation of the sector.
Stressing that the country should formulate strategy towards reaching the target, the minister said the strategy should be based on three principles – carbon minimisation, carbon avoidance and the third, carbon capture and utilisation, which calls for new technology. Instead of coking coal, green energy can also be used for steel-making.
Scindia said India has come a long way in the field of steel to become a net exporter of steel from a net importer of steel. During the last 7-8 years, India’s per capita consumption has gone up by 50% to 78 kg. The government targets to treble it by 2047 to align with the global average.
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The minister said though India currently a distant second in the world of steel-making, it can become the world’s largest steel producer in the days to come. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of steel.
According to World Steel Association (WSA), China’s crude steel production was nearly nine times higher than that of India in 2021. While China produced 1032.8 MT crude steel during the year, India’s production was 118.1 MT.