Primetals will supply an electric arc furnace for the voestalpine plant in Linz

Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine has placed an order with Primetals Technologies for a 180-ton electric arc furnace (EAF) to be installed at its Linz plant. It is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027. This is stated in the message of Primetals.

The order will be fulfilled by Primetals Technologies Austria, which is also located in Linz.

The construction of the electric arc furnace is part of Greentec Steel’s comprehensive investment program. In the first phase, one blast furnace each at the Linz and Donavik facilities will be replaced with EAFs powered by green electricity. This should help the group reduce its carbon emissions by 30% from 2027.

The EAF Ultimate from Primetals will be installed in Linz. The order also includes full level 1 and level 2 automation, a power supply system and the LiquiRob robotic system, which increases efficiency and safety at the plant.

«We are delighted to strengthen our close and long-term partnership with voestalpine and support them on their journey to CO₂ neutrality. The EAF Ultimate is part of our latest generation of EAFs and is well known for its raw material flexibility, fully automated operation, advanced control systems and environmental efficiency,» Primetals said in a statement.

EAF Ultimate will be designed with solutions for environmentally friendly steel production in mind. For example, the heat recovery system will convert most of the waste heat into steam, which is then returned and used in other production units.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in October, voestalpine launched the EAF construction project in Linz. The unit’s capacity is estimated at 1.6 million tons of CO₂-reduced steel per year. To maintain high product quality, the furnace will operate using a mixture of scrap, pig iron and hot briquetted iron as raw materials.

Earlier, in September 2023, the company launched a project to build an electric arc furnace at its Donawitz steel mill with an annual capacity of 850 thousand tons of steel, with Italian Danieli responsible for the design, manufacture and commissioning of the EAF.