Nippon Steel has selected Tenova to supply a 340-ton electric arc furnace (EAF) for its Yawata Area at Kyushu Works in Japan. Once installed, the furnace will be the world’s largest by heat size and the most powerful of its kind, according to Tenova.
The Consteel EAF will be developed with GE Vernova, which will supply its Direct Feed power system to provide the high-stability electricity required for the installation.
The furnace’s high power capacity will enable the use of a high proportion of virgin iron units, supporting the production of high-quality steel grades.
The project marks a step in Nippon Steel’s transition from blast furnace to EAF steelmaking as part of its strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It also aligns with Japan’s Green Transformation (GX) Promotion Act and the country’s broader decarbonization objectives.
Nippon Steel Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is Japan’s largest steelmaker and the world’s third-largest steel producer. The company has consolidated global crude steel production capacity of around 76 mln tons per year, including 44 mln tons in Japan and 32 mln tons overseas, with a long-term target to expand capacity to 100 mln tons per year.