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The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), India's largest government-owned steel producer, has entered into a collaboration with global resources giant BHP to decarbonise steelmaking processes in India.
According to the Ministry of Steel, this partnership follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies, aiming to explore lower-carbon pathways for steel production through the blast furnace (BF) route. The collaboration marks a crucial step in supporting India's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in steel manufacturing. As part of the MoU, SAIL and BHP will explore various workstreams focused on decarbonisation at SAIL's integrated steel plants, which operate blast furnaces. These workstreams will investigate alternative reductants for the BF process, such as hydrogen and biochar, to identify strategies that could help lower emissions and foster sustainable steel production. Speaking about the partnership, SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash expressed optimism, stating, "SAIL is looking forward to this collaboration with BHP in taking a step forward towards engaging in developing sustainable ways to produce steel." He added, "The emergent need to align the steel sector with climate commitments is non-negotiable. SAIL is committed to contributing towards tackling the issue of climate change through fostering an innovative future for the steel industry in India." The initiative will also emphasise building local research and development capabilities to support the transition to cleaner technologies. This technological transformation is seen as vital for decarbonising both India's and the global steel industry in the mid-to-long term, and partnerships like this are critical to driving progress. Rag Udd, Chief Commercial Officer at BHP, highlighted the importance of the partnership, noting, "BHP has a long-established relationship with SAIL, and we are pleased to be extending and strengthening this relationship to explore decarbonisation opportunities for the blast furnace route." He added, "We recognise that decarbonising this industry is a challenge that we cannot meet alone, and we must come together to leverage shared expertise and resources, to support the development of technologies and capability that could have the potential to create a real change in carbon emissions both now and in the longer term." (ANI)
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