Voestalpine has completed a new power plant unit at its steel mill as part of its greentec steel transformation program, creating an additional source of electricity ahead of the planned commissioning of an electric arc furnace (EAF) in 2027.
The new power plant unit is designed to use steam generated by the EAF’s cooling processes for electricity production. This will partly replace the blast furnace gas currently used to generate the company’s own electricity. Blast furnace gas availability is expected to decline after the EAF replaces Blast Furnace 5 in 2027.
The new unit was officially handed over in summer 2026 following construction that began with site preparation in 2022 and groundbreaking in January 2024. The project was completed on schedule and within budget, according to Voestalpine.
The power plant has entered the hot commissioning phase, including final performance tests. During a turbine test, the unit operated at full load using 60 tons of steam at a pressure of 16 bar. New pipelines have been installed to route steam to the power plant.
The facility is expected to support Voestalpine’s transition to hybrid steelmaking, combining EAF and blast furnace operations as part of the greentec steel program.
Headquartered in Austria, Voestalpine is a global steel and technology group operating around 500 companies and locations in more than 50 countries. The company supplies high-value steel products and engineered solutions to the automotive, commercial vehicle, railway, aerospace, energy and machinery sectors.