ZESTA demonstrates how the steel industry can decarbonize at scale while safeguarding high-quality production and competitiveness.
ArcelorMittal Belgium CO₂ roadmap
In the current configuration of the ArcelorMittal Belgium plant, 100% of the production is based on the Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace route (BF-BOF). Thus, the ZESTA project aims at catalyzing the transition of ArcelorMittal Belgium towards a fully flexible steel plant in Ghent which will be CO₂-neutral by 2050.
Hybrid DRI-BF Steelmaking Route
Combines traditional Blast Furnaces and Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BF-BOF) with Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and use of hydrogen rich gas.
Advanced Scrap Utilization
Enables the use of low-quality scrap through innovative cleaning technologies and predictive metallurgical software.
Flexibilty based on market availability
Next to the swith to a hybrid BF-DRI plant, the CO₂ emissions will be further reduced by a combination of increased scrap use, CCS and hydrogen. The extend to which the 3 options will be executed will be determined based on market conditions.
Smart Digitalized Operations
Uses sensors and AI-driven tools to optimize product quality, manage intermittent renewables, and balance gas/electricity networks.
Standardized Plant Design
New CCS-ready DRI-BF plants to reduce costs (OPEX & CAPEX) and ensure flexibility in the choice of reductants (hydrogen or natural gas) depending on pricing and availability.
ZESTA (Zero Emission STeelmaking at ArcelorMittal) is ArcelorMittal Belgium’s flagship decarbonization project for its Ghent plant. It will transform the site’s steel production towards a hybrid set-up, combining the conventional Blast Furnace – Basic Oxygen Furnace production path with a new Direct Reduction Plant with two Electric Arc Furnaces. The project integrates cutting-edge technologies to enable flexible operations based on carbon capture, hydrogen availability,circular raw materials, and digitalization.
Taking the current economic situation into account, ArcelorMittal Belgium will apply a phased decarbonization approach. The first step will be taken once the conditions are in place that allow for the investment.