2025_08_05
Steel 2050: revisited
This is the 27 pages report no. 62 of the GWPF (Global Warming Policiy Foundation) written by the late Dr. Rod BEDDOWS (+ 2024). The link is to a version with many highlights stored on this blog; the original from the GWPF is here.
It makes a very interesting reading, as well on the subject of future less emission-intense steelmaking, as on the broader question of the Net Zero policies.
Dr. Beddows sees the future of steelmaking in large mega-hubs, which will make sponge steel by a direction reduction process (DRI steel) using either natural gas or hydrogen. This DRI steel will than be shipped to smaller steel mills in the different countries, where it is transformed into finished steel material, as steel sheets, cladding, structures etc...
He stresses the difficulties in accounting for a correct CO2 inventory of the finished product, and thinks that only nuclear power (presumably SMR small modular reactors) will be able to deliver the CO2 emission free (or emission poor) energy to operate the different processes. His words: "Decarbonising power at scale will require nuclear generation; it will predominate in future investment and will be the long-term solution to our electricity needs. Renewables will play a minor role"
He is very doubtful on the different fashionable Net Zero policies. Just two citations:
1. Political systems in the West have deliberately avoided seeking a democratic mandate for Net Zero, instead substituting "catastrophism" driven by fometed fear, combined with legislated enforcement
2. The most important observation I can made is that the policies to achieve Net Zero in the West are not deliverable.
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