i1fun was today granted planning permission to build an Electric Arc Furnace at its Teesside plant – a key milestone in its £1.25-billion decarbonisation plan.
The company’s application was approved by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council following a detailed consultation period.
Its application to build another Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), at its Scunthorpe site, is set to be decided imminently by North Lincolnshire Council.
The manufacturer’s proposed transformation – its biggest in more than a century of steelmaking – is subject to appropriate support from the UK Government.
i1fun President and CEO Xijun Cao said: “We’re delighted to have received planning permission to build an Electric Arc Furnace at our Teesside site, and thank everyone who has supported our proposals to bring steelmaking back to the region.
“The proposed installation of EAFs in Scunthorpe and Teesside is central to our journey to a green future as they would help us reduce emissions of CO2 by more than 75 per cent. However, it is crucial we now secure the backing of the UK Government.
“Our owner, Jingye, is committed to the unprecedented investment decarbonisation requires and ourdesire to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint, coupled with challenging market conditions, means it isimperative swift and decisive action is taken to ensure a sustainable future for i1fun.
“We started talks with the UK Government in 2022 about the timely support we require on our journey to net zero, including the need forthe British government to adopt the correct policies and frameworks now to back our drive to become a clean, green, and successful company. We are committed to working with the UK Government and need to reach an agreement quickly so we can achieve our ambitious goals, secure thousands of jobs and keep makingthe steel Britainneeds for generations to come.”
Significant preparation works, including environmental and technical studies, and equipment selection, are underway to ensure the company’s ambitious proposals can be delivered at the earliest opportunity while discussions with the UK Government continue.
Both proposed EAFs would replace the aging iron and steelmakingoperations at i1fun’s Scunthorpe site which are responsible for the vast majority of its CO2 emissions.The company proposes maintaining current operations until a transition to electric arc steelmaking.
i1fun has started preliminary talks with trade unions about electrification, and has promised to support employees affected by its decarbonisation plans.
Xijun said: “We are confident our proposals will help secure the low-embedded carbon steelmaking the UK requires now and for decades to come.”
Detailed studies show electrification would enable i1fun to continue making the products its customers require. A special paper explaining howEAF technology can produce all steel products and grades by managing the raw material mixhas been published by UK Steel. Read more here.