Sidenor is driving the decarbonization of its Basauri plant through investments in process electrification and energy digitalization. The project revolves around two key actions focused on energy efficiency and process decarbonization:
- The replacement of steam boilers with mechanical vacuum pumps in the steelmaking process, eliminating the consumption of natural gas that currently powers the boilers, and
- The digitalization of energy measurement, focused on advanced control of process energy consumption through intelligent monitoring systems and predictive models.
The first action involves replacing the existing natural gas-fired steam boilers with an electrically powered mechanical vacuum pump system, with the aim of eliminating the use of natural gas in the steel degassing process at the refining plant. The electricity consumption associated with these pumps will be covered by renewable energy sources, thus ensuring that the electrification of the process does not lead to an increase in indirect emissions. This action represents a structural change in the steel mill’s energy model, allowing for annual savings of approximately 35,000 MWh of natural gas, which translates into a reduction of more than 6,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year. Thanks to this process electrification, the direct emissions associated with the VD and VOD lines are reduced to virtually zero, making a decisive contribution to the decarbonization of one of the most energy-intensive stages of the production process. Furthermore, the new solution improves operational efficiency, reduces water consumption and decreases dependence on fossil fuels.
For its part, the energy consumption digitization project introduces a new comprehensive online consumption monitoring system that allows for the digitalization and real-time management of electricity and gas consumption across the plant’s various processes. Through the installation of new energy meters and the development of predictive models based on artificial intelligence, Sidenor will be able to anticipate deviations, optimize steel mill operations and identify energy-saving opportunities. This initiative is estimated to reduce energy consumption through operational improvements equivalent to more than 3,600 MWh of natural gas and nearly 3,200 MWh of electricity annually, representing an additional reduction of approximately 1,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year.
Taken together, the actions associated with both projects will help Sidenor make significant progress in its decarbonization strategy, combining the electrification of critical industrial processes and advanced digitalization of energy management, with an overall emissions reduction that far exceeds several thousand tons of CO₂ per year.
Both projects are part of Sidenor’s Decarbonization Plan at the Basauri plant, which has received funding from the 2024 PERTE for Industrial Decarbonization call for proposals, promoted by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) and financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The PERTE Industrial Decarbonization call for proposals supports industrial investments aimed at emissions reduction, energy efficiency, and the sustainable transformation of energy-intensive sectors.
FILE NUMBER: DI1-010000-2024-45
BENEFICIARY: SIDENOR ACEROS ESPECIALES, S.L.
PROJECT TITLE: Decarbonization Plan at the Basauri Plant
MUNICIPALITY OF THE ACTION: Basauri – Bizkaia
RESOLUTION/ROYAL DECREE: Order ITU/1434/2023, of December 26 (Official State Gazette No. 3, of January 3, 2024), amended by Order ITU/28/2024, of January 17 (Official State Gazette No. 19, of January 22, 2024), which establishes the regulatory framework for comprehensive action grants for the decarbonization of the manufacturing industry as part of the PERTE for Industrial Decarbonization within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and announces these grants through an advance call for proposals for 2024 (published in the National Database of Subsidies (Identifier): 735612, and announced in the Official State Gazette No. 310 dated December 28, 2023).
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