Tata Steel in the Netherlands today announced a speeding up of a €300 million package of planned measures with the objective of significantly reducing dust and odour emissions from its IJmuiden site in the next two years.

Tata Steel aims to accelerate its ‘Roadmap Plus’ plans to complete a number of projects in 2023, with a new facility – designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions – planned to be operational in 2025.

It is expected the new measures will lead to substantial and noticeable reductions in the nuisance experienced by local residents.

Tata Steel Netherlands first announced its environmental improvement programme, called  Roadmap Plus, in December 2020 (see here). In-depth analysis showed the proposed measures would result in a significant reduction in nuisance caused by odours, dust and noise by 2023.

Hans van den Berg, Chairman of the Board of Tata Steel Netherlands, said: “We take our neighbours’ concerns very seriously.

“We are continually taking steps to reduce nuisance and two years ago bundled these together under the 'Roadmap' project. With the Roadmap Plus plans we seek to accelerate these improvements towards a better living environment for all. We plan to do this through additional measures and investments, but also by accelerating the environmental projects identified in the original Roadmap project. The plan clearly shows the impact of the measures on improving the living environment.”

Dust
Roadmap Plus contains new measures to reduce dust emissions. An important measure in reducing visible dust is the reduction of dust turbulence at storage facilities and when on conveyor belts in the raw materials area at the IJmuiden site. This is planned to be achieved by building dust screens and covering the bunkers of the Blast Furnaces as well as the transport systems for raw materials. In addition, covering the steel converter slag cooling process is expected to make an important contribution to dust reduction. By 2023, the company expects dust emissions in the immediate community around the site to be reduced by approximately 65 per cent compared to 2021 levels.

Odour
The odour sources with a major impact on the surrounding area are from processes known as the Coke and Gas Plant 2 (KGF2), the ladle fire-up installation at the Steel Plant and Pickling Line 22 at the Cold  Mill. In addition to the planned acceleration of all odour-reduction measures, Tata Steel Netherlands will also take extra measures within Roadmap Plus. 

For example, a plan to accelerate improvements to the KGF2, including adjustments to the mechanical seal and lowering the pressure of the 108 cooking ovens. 

This project has now started. Another measure which has been added is the installation of a new scrubber at Pickling Line 22. With the extra measures, odour issues experienced by the surrounding community are expected to reduce by approximately 85 per cent in 2023.

Reducing nitrogen oxides and other measures
A major project within the Roadmap Plus package is the planned building of a ‘DeNOx’ installation at the Pellet factory in IJmuiden, which is expected to significantly contribute to the reduction of emissions. In addition to reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx), the new facility would also reduce emissions of particulate matter and heavy metals by 55 per cent.

By taking various measures against the emission of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), Tata Steel Netherlands hopes to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in the emission of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by 2023.

Tata Steel Netherlands always strives to comply with permits and legal standards. The acceleration of the Roadmap Plus plan covers actions which extend beyond the scope of current permit requirements. Tata Steel Netherlands deems this an essential acceleration, since it focuses on measures which have the largest possible positive impact on the local communities and the local environment.

-ends-

For further information: Ariane Volz ariane.volz@tatasteeleurope.com +31 (0) 611 623 456 or Robert Moens robert.moens@tatasteeleurope.com +31 (0) 610 880 476

About Tata Steel’s European operations

Tata Steel is one of Europe's leading steel producers, with steelmaking in the Netherlands and the UK, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel products to the most demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering. Tata Steel works with customers to develop new steel products which give them a competitive edge. The Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes. It is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world. The group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $21.06 billion in the financial year ending 31 March, 2021.