Nucor - Smart Energy Decisions

GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  July 20, 2021

Nucor to Cut Emissions Intensity of Steelmaking 77% with Efficiency Projects

Nucor Corporation plans to reduce the emissions intensity of its steel mills 77% through the execution of emissions reduction strategies.

The steelmaker is pursuing a target of reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions 35% by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. Currently, its production process emits 0.47 tons of CO2 per ton of steel, but by 2030 that should drop to 0.38 tons of CO2 per ton of steel.

“The green economy is being built on steel. As an electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker and North America's largest recycler, Nucor is already a world leader in sustainable steel. Our GHG intensity is less than one-third the world average, but we are committed to going further,” Leon Topalian, president and chief executive officer of Nucor, said in a statement. “Steel will continue to be an essential material for our nation's economy, and Nucor is proving that it can be produced in a sustainable way to help the world meet its climate goals.”

Nucor is also trying to cut its Scope 3 emissions associated with its raw materials and hopes to eventually manufacture net-zero emissions steel at scale. Currently, the company produces 100% of its steel in recycled scrap-based EAFs, halving its emissions per ton compared to the Paris Climate Agreement’s 2030 GHG intensity targets for the steel sector.

The company is also the seventh-largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the United States and is pursuing energy efficiency projects and carbon capture and storage technology to increase the efficiency of its operations.

Tags: Nucor

« Back to Energy Management

  • LinkedIn
  • Subscribe

Smart Energy Decisions Content Partners