Suez Steel sets new benchmark in energy consumption for DRI production

Suez Steel has achieved a new benchmark in energy efficiency at its Direct Reduction Plant (DRP) based on ENERGIRON Zero-Reformer (ZR) technology. The plant, the first large-scale industrial applications of this technology, is operating with high metallization rates while ensuring direct hot feeding to the meltshop.

The ENERGIRON ZR process, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli , enables flexible gas reduction of iron ore pellets with high metallization and with compact plant footprint.

Through continuous operational optimization and accumulated expertise, Suez Steel has reached natural gas consumption levels slightly below 2.2 Gcal per ton (8.73 MBTU/ton) on a consistent basis for several months of continuous operations.

A key contribution to these results is the integration of the captive pellet plant recently commissioned by Suez Steel, allowing the supply of high-quality pellets with optimal reducibility characteristics for stable and efficient DRP operation.

Mr. Rafic Daou, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Suez Steel, stated: “We are collecting the fruits of our works and our growing expertise in the field of pelletizing and iron making; these results confirm the potential of the company Suez Steel and of Egypt to reach excellency in steel industry.”

Mr. Zulfikar, Technical Manager of Suez Steel, declared: “This result has been the achievement of all the team steadily focused in seeking the best performance through relentless commitment on continuous improvement and technology development in constant partnership with our technology partners of ENERGIRON.”

Mr. Marco Lapasin, VP Danieli Centro Metallics, stated: “We are proud of these results that show the potential of the ENERGIRON process, especially when the management and the team is devoted to production and to investigate the best synergies to push the process closer to its theoretical limit. We praise this approach, and we are glad when we can contribute to the success of such an important partner like Suez Steel.”

This result establishes a world benchmark in terms of energy efficiency for gas-based direct reduction and contributes to the advancement of sustainable steelmaking, supporting reduced carbon emissions and improved environmental performance.