Published: October 21, 2022 |

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ArcelorMittal along with the governments of Canada and Ontario, has broken ground on its CAD$1.8 billion investment decarbonization project at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The project, a partnership between ArcelorMittal and the governments of Canada and Ontario, which was first announced in July last year, will play an important role in ensuring the company makes progress this decade with its decarbonization efforts and is part of ArcelorMittal’s target to reduce the carbon intensity of the steel it produces by 25 percent by 2030.

It also demonstrates the power of public and private partnerships to accelerate progress, which are vital if the target of limiting the average global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees is to be achieved. The governments of Canada and Ontario having committed CAD$400 million and CAD$500 million respectively to the overall project cost.

The project will fundamentally change the way steel is made at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, transitioning the site to direct reduced iron-electric arc furnace (DRI-EAF) steelmaking, which carries a considerably lower carbon footprint and removes coal from the ironmaking process. The new 2.5 million tonne capacity DRI furnace will initially operate on natural gas but will be constructed ‘hydrogen ready’ so it can be transitioned to utilise green hydrogen as a clean energy input as and when a sufficient, cost-effective supply of green hydrogen becomes available.

The ceremony took place at ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s site in Hamilton and was attended by: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne; Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Filomena Tassi; ArcelorMittal Chairman, Lakshmi Mittal; and ArcelorMittal Dofasco President and CEO Ron Bedard.

“Today is a historic moment for our company. This is the first full-scale decarbonization project we have broken ground on since announcing our commitment to achieve net zero by 2050 and reduce carbon emissions intensity by 25 percent by 2030,” said ArcelorMittal Chairman, Lakshmi Mittal.

“This project will transform how we make steel in Hamilton by introducing coal free, lower-carbon technologies. It will enable us to make significant progress this decade, reduce our emissions in Hamilton by approximately 60 percent and lay strong foundations for near zero steelmaking. It will also ensure that Hamilton’s rich history of steelmaking endures, and that ArcelorMittal Dofasco is able to produce the advanced steel solutions Canada needs to support its own vision of transitioning to a net zero economy,” added Mittal.

“We believe that what we are starting here today in Canada can become a model for the rest of the world in how to decarbonize steel. As the most circular of materials, with the lowest comparable carbon footprint, we must work together to demonstrate how steel companies can produce lower-carbon and ultimately near-zero steel that will make such a valuable contribution to a near-zero economy. We at ArcelorMittal very much look forward to being central to that journey,” concluded Mittal.

“This project provides us with a tremendous opportunity to transition ArcelorMittal Dofasco into one of the world’s cleanest, lowest carbon, and modern steel manufacturers. While it involves installing new technology and equipment, the investment is really about people and planet. It will help our customers lower their carbon footprint, ensuring they deliver low carbon products to consumers. It will create and protect green careers in advanced manufacturing here at Dofasco. It will improve the work environment for our operations, maintenance, and technology teams,” said ArcelorMittal Dofasco President and CEO, Ron Bedard.

“It is genuinely transformational for our company, and not something we could have done alone, so I must thank our friends and partners at the governments of Canada and Ontario for the valuable support they are providing,” added Bedard.

“Today represents a major step on our way to a net-zero future. Canadian steel companies are world-class and this project places Canadian workers at the heart of the future of the steel industry. This project will enable ArcelorMittal Dofasco to produce cleaner, greener steel, while ensuring low-carbon manufacturing. It will mean Canadian made steel will be more competitive on a global scale and will secure good jobs for Canadian workers and their families in the Hamilton region,” said Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne.

“Today is another example that here in Ontario we have everything we need to be a global leader in the manufacturing of clean steel to build made-in-Ontario cars, electric vehicles, and battery technologies. There is no better place for companies to invest and I want to send my thanks to ArcelorMittal Dofasco for this tremendous vote of confidence in Ontario, and our workers. Hamilton has deep roots as a Steel Town, and the women and men of this city will continue that proud tradition for decades to come,” said Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford.

About ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 16 countries. In 2021, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $76.6 billion and crude steel production of 69.1 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 50.9 million metric tonnes. Our purpose is to produce ever smarter steels that have a positive benefit for people and planet. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future.

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