Lead
On December 23, China Baowu Zhanjiang Iron & Steel's first 1-million-ton-scale near-zero-carbon production line was fully commissioned. This production line, centered on the hydrogen metallurgy electric smelting process (HyRESP), not only achieved a 50%-80% reduction in carbon emissions compared with traditional long-process, but also consolidated compliance advantages for nickel-containing steel (such as stainless steel plates) to cope with the EU CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) through low-carbon adaptation and carbon footprint management of key raw materials such as nickel pig iron (NPI). As a core raw material for stainless steel production (accounting for 30%-40% of the cost of 300-series stainless steel), NPI's application logic, cost optimization path and carbon data traceability in the near-zero-carbon production line have become one of the core highlights of this benchmark production line.
I. Production Process and Low-Carbon Adaptation of NPI: Whole-Chain Carbon Reduction from Raw Materials to Smelting
Baowu Zhanjiang's near-zero-carbon production line adopts a short-process of "hydrogen-based shaft furnace + high-efficiency electric arc furnace + AOD refining", which completely subverts the high-carbon mode of traditional blast furnaces relying on coke. As a core alloy raw material for stainless steel smelting, NPI's adaptability directly determines the output efficiency and carbon emission reduction effect of low-carbon steel.
1. Raw Material Selection: Prioritizing the matching of green NPI and scrap steel. The production line uses "hydrogen-based shaft furnace direct reduced iron (DRI) + scrap steel" as basic raw materials. In the production of stainless steel plates (such as 304-series hot-rolled coils and medium and heavy plates), it adopts a reasonable ratio of low-sulfur and phosphorus green NPI (complying with EN 10204 3.1 certification) and high-carbon ferrochrome. This not only avoids cost increases caused by high-priced nickel supplement, but also reduces carbon emissions during smelting through raw material purity control. Data shows that high-quality green NPI can further reduce carbon emissions in the AOD refining link by 8%-12% .
2. Smelting Synergy: Technological Breakthrough in Hydrogen Metallurgy and NPI Smelting. The production line is equipped with a 220-ton green power electric arc furnace. Through the advanced transformer solution customized by Hitachi Energy, it realizes the efficient smelting of NPI and DRI, solving the problems of high energy consumption and difficult removal of impurities in NPI melting in traditional processes. At the same time, the DRI (metallization rate over 92%) produced by the hydrogen-based shaft furnace is smelted in synergy with NPI, which can reduce the electric furnace smelting time by 15%-20%, further reducing the unit product energy consumption and carbon emissions .
3. Emission Reduction Overlay: Implicit Carbon Savings in NPI Link. In traditional long-process steel production, the embodied carbon of NPI smelting (including ore mining, sintering, smelting) accounts for about 40%-50% of the whole-life cycle carbon emissions of stainless steel (Scope 3 category). However, through green power drive and waste heat recovery system (coverage rate 58%), Zhanjiang production line reduces the unit carbon emission of NPI smelting from 20 tons CO₂/ton nickel in traditional processes to below 3.2 tons CO₂/ton nickel. Combined with the overall carbon reduction effect of the production line, the carbon footprint of nickel-containing stainless steel plates is finally as low as 0.58 tons CO₂e/ton, which is far better than the EU average of similar products (1.35 tons CO₂e/ton) .
II. Cost Optimization of NPI: Key Path to Balance Low-Carbon and Economy
Near-zero-carbon production lines are not "synonymous with high cost". Through refined control of NPI and supply chain optimization, Zhanjiang production line effectively controls the production cost of nickel-containing steel while achieving deep decarbonization, breaking the industry misunderstanding that "low carbon is necessarily high price".
1. Charge Ratio Cost Reduction: Precisely Controlling NPI Usage. Drawing on TISCO's "charge cost reduction" experience, Zhanjiang production line dynamically adjusts the ratio of NPI, scrap steel and ferrochrome through the whole-process intelligent control model. In the production of 304-series hot-rolled coils, the NPI usage can be controlled below 180 kg/ton, 18%-22% less than traditional production lines, and the cost per ton of steel can be reduced by 200-300 yuan only in the NPI link .
2. Supply Chain Integration: Locking in Green NPI Long-Term Contract Prices. Through green supply chain cooperation with mining enterprises such as Rio Tinto, Baowu Group prioritizes the procurement of low-carbon NPI (NPI smelted by hydrogen plasma technology, with carbon emissions reduced by 84% compared with traditional processes) and locks in prices through long-term agreements to avoid raw material price increase risks caused by external factors such as Indonesian NPI production cuts. At the same time, relying on the advantages of Zhanjiang Port, it shortens the NPI transportation radius and further reduces the carbon and economic costs in the logistics link .
3. Implicit Benefits: Low-Carbon Premium Covers Cost Increment. Although the procurement premium of green NPI is about 8%-12%, the nickel-containing stainless steel plates produced by Zhanjiang production line can obtain a 3%-5% low-carbon premium in the EU market due to carbon footprint advantages, and do not need to bear CBAM carbon tariffs (according to current standards, carbon intensity below 1.0 ton CO₂e/ton can be exempted from part of the tariffs). Comprehensive calculation shows that the low-carbon premium can fully cover the cost increment of raw materials such as NPI, and in high-end scenarios (such as new energy equipment, nuclear power), the whole-life cycle cost advantage is more significant .
III. NPI Carbon Footprint Management: Core Compliance Support for CBAM
The EU CBAM mechanism has clearly included stainless steel parts (including plates and pipe fittings) in the taxation scope, and its carbon accounting boundary covers the whole process from "ore to factory delivery". Among them, the embodied carbon of upstream raw materials such as NPI (Scope 3) is the core accounting index. Through the whole-chain management and control of NPI carbon footprint, Zhanjiang production line provides key compliance guarantee for the export of nickel-containing steel to the EU.
1. Carbon Data Connection: Realizing Traceability of NPI Embodied Carbon. The production line has established a carbon data infrastructure covering "nickel ore mining - NPI smelting - steel production". Through blockchain technology, it records data such as NPI's origin, smelting process and energy consumption, forming a verifiable carbon footprint report. This means that 304-series hot-rolled coils, medium and heavy plates and other products exported to the EU can clearly disclose the embodied carbon in the NPI link, fully meeting CBAM's accounting requirements for Scope 3 carbon emissions .
2. Compliance Advantage: Significantly Reducing Carbon Tariff Costs. Data in 2024 shows that 63% of China's stainless steel exports to the EU face CBAM carbon tariff risks, with an average cost increase of 4.2-7.8 percentage points. However, due to the deep decarbonization in the NPI link, the carbon intensity of nickel-containing stainless steel plates produced by Zhanjiang production line is far below the EU threshold, which can reduce CBAM tariff costs by more than 80%. Some products can even be exempted from tariffs, greatly enhancing export competitiveness .
3. Industry Demonstration: Promoting the Reconstruction of Low-Carbon Standards for NPI. The commissioning of Zhanjiang production line has forced the upstream NPI industry to accelerate low-carbon transformation. At present, many NPI enterprises have cooperated with Baowu to introduce hydrogen plasma smelting technology to produce green NPI adapted to near-zero-carbon production lines. This model of "downstream demand driving upstream transformation" will promote the establishment of a unified low-carbon standard for the global NPI industry and reshape the green competition pattern of the stainless steel industry chain .
