China News Service, Beijing, July 17th, title:
(Mid-Year Economic Observation) China's low-carbon steelmaking road is imperative
China News Agency reporter Ruan Yulin
As the industry with the largest carbon emissions in China's manufacturing industry, China's steel industry is making every effort to promote carbon peaks and carbon emission reductions. To ensure that carbon peaks are achieved in 2030, China's low-carbon steelmaking road is imperative.
Data map: Workers of iron and steel enterprises check blast furnace production.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Bai Yunshui
Low-carbon development is imperative
As the world's largest producer and consumer of crude steel, China's crude steel output accounts for more than half of the global crude steel output.
Data shows that China’s steel industry’s carbon emissions account for more than 60% of global steel carbon emissions and about 15% of China’s total carbon emissions. It is the industry with the largest carbon emissions among the 31 manufacturing sectors, and it is also China’s promotion of green The main battlefield for low-carbon development.
"Low-carbon development of the steel industry is imperative," Qu Xiuli, vice president and secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Association, told reporters that achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutral targets on schedule is China’s solemn commitment to the world. All regions are formulating low-carbon development roadmaps and action plans to ensure the realization of the goals.
On February 9, the China Iron and Steel Association issued a proposal to the entire industry stating that the steel industry will face a “relative constraint” on the intensity of carbon emissions to an “absolute constraint” on the total amount of carbon emissions.
Speeding up the low-carbon transformation and achieving carbon peaks ahead of schedule is a need for national construction, and it is necessary to speed up research on action plans for carbon peaks and carbon neutrality in the steel industry.
On April 22, the China Iron and Steel Association announced the establishment of the "Steel Industry Low-Carbon Work Promotion Committee" to find out the carbon emissions of the steel industry as soon as possible, study the industry's low-carbon roadmap and action plan, and study and formulate a low-carbon standard system.
On May 1, China adjusted tariffs on certain steel products.
Appropriately increase the export tariffs on ferrosilicon, ferrochrome, high-purity pig iron and other products. After adjustment, the export tax rate of 25%, the temporary export tax rate of 20%, and the temporary export tax rate of 15% will be implemented respectively, and the export tax rebate of some steel products will be cancelled.
Industry insiders pointed out that in the context of carbon neutrality, it is imperative to reduce crude steel output and adjust the production structure.
Many companies announced the carbon peaking action target
Under the constraints of carbon peaking in 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, many Chinese steel companies have successively released carbon peaking action plans this year.
On January 20th, China Baowu Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. took the lead in announcing its carbon emission reduction goals: release a low-carbon metallurgical roadmap in 2021; strive to achieve carbon peaks in 2023; have the ability to reduce carbon by 30% in 2025; and in 2035 Strive to reduce carbon by 30%; strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
On March 12, Hegang Group, one of the world's largest steel material manufacturing and integrated service providers, announced the overall goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, stating that it has invested a total of RMB 20.3 billion to implement more than 430 key energy-saving and environmental protection projects.
In 2020, the group took the lead in launching the world's first hydrogen-rich gas direct reduction demonstration project, exploring the best way to develop a low-carbon, even zero-carbon economy in the world's steel industry.
Qu Xiuli expressed that the task of the steel industry is arduous by adhering to green and low-carbon development and actively fulfilling its social responsibilities.
Increasing the intensity and speed of ultra-low emission transformation is the current top priority, and it is necessary to speed up research on the roadmap for low-carbon development of the steel industry.
At the same time, it is necessary to further optimize the structure of raw materials, processes and energy, break through the bottleneck of low-carbon technology, and promote the application of non-fossil energy, especially hydrogen energy, in the steel industry.
Actively introduce the concept of green development throughout the product life cycle, vigorously promote green design products, and promote the application of high-quality, high-strength, long-life, and recyclable steel products.
Promote the inclusion of the steel industry in the national carbon market
The Department of Climate Change Response of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently sent a letter to the China Iron and Steel Association, entrusting the China Iron and Steel Association to carry out work related to the inclusion of the steel industry in the national carbon market, mainly including the formulation and update of the carbon quota allocation plan for the steel industry, and the testing of the national carbon market support system for the steel industry Work etc.
Subsequently, the China Iron and Steel Association's Low-Carbon Work Promotion Committee started the collection of special standards for carbon peak carbon neutralization in the steel industry, and the scope of the collection includes related standards such as carbon emission accounting, carbon emission quotas, and low-carbon evaluation.
Li Xinchuang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chief Engineer of the Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said that the carbon trading market is inherently consistent with the high-quality development of the steel industry. The steel industry should make full use of the carbon trading market mechanism to promote the industry to achieve high-quality carbon peaks.
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