JFE East Japan Works (Chiba) steel plant

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JFE East Japan Works (Chiba) steel plant (東日本製鉄所 千葉地区), also known as JFE - Kawasaki Steel (formerly), is a steel plant in Chuo, Chiba, Japan that operates blast furnace (BF), basic oxygen furnace (BOF), and electric arc furnace (EAF) technology.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Chuo, Chiba, Japan:

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  • Location: 1 Kawasaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Pref. 260-0835 Japan
  • Coordinates (WGS 84): 35.580917, 140.104196 (exact)

Background

The JFE East Japan Works (Chiba) steel plant began operating in 1951.[1] It is one of the many JFE Steel sites. In 1953, No. 1 blast furnace (BF) was blown in, No, 1 hot strip mill and No.1 cold strip mill were completed in succession in 1958, establishing a complete integrated iron and steel works centered on the production of steel strip. After a series of plant expansions, the construction of main equipment slowed following the blowing-in of No.5 BF in 1965. The No.6 BF, No.3 steel making shop, and No.3 slabbing mlll were constructed on a newly reclaimed site called the West Plant in 1977, aiming at modernization and rationalization, together wlth improvement of the environment. Following the rapid appreciation of yen in 1985, Japanese steel iindustry was obliged to adopt drastic rationalization plans. Kawasaki Steel shifted crude steel production to Mizushima Works, shut down the plate mill and No.2 steelmaking shop at Chiba Works, carried out a major overall modernization at Chiba Works, and concentrated the production of stainless steel sheets and electrical steel at Chiba Works and Mizushima Works, respectively. The main production processes at Chiba Works were concentrated from the East Plant to the West Plant, and No.4 steel making shop was put into operation in 1994, followed by No.3 hot strip mill in 1995.[2]

In 2020, the company announced its plan to establish a pilot BF-EAF to test CO2 recycling into methane, the construction of which has already begun and is expected to be completed by 2025.[3]

In May 2023, JFE Steel announced that it will install a new electric-arc furnace at the No. 4 steelmaking shop of the plant at a cost of about 15 billion yen and is expected to be commissioned by April 2025.[4]

In 2023, JFE Steel completed the relining of No. 6 blast furnace at East Japan Works (Chiba).[5]

In 2025, JFE Holdings also plans to build a small, new EAF in Chiba, which is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 0.45 MtCO2. A small 10 tonnes test EAF is also planned for testing within 2024.[6] As of September 2024, the testing was expected to be completed within 2024 itself. There has been no update as on 18 December, 2024.

Plant Details

Table 1: General Plant Details

Start date Workforce size Power source
1951[7] 5730[8] 453 MW on-site thermal power generator[7]

Table 2: Ownership and Parent Company Information

Parent company Parent company PermID Parent company GEM ID Owner Owner company PermID Owner company GEM ID
JFE Holdings Inc 4295880726 E100000000643 JFE Steel Corp[9] 4295877328 E100000003335

Table 3: Process and Products

Steel product category Steel products Steel sector end users ISO 14001 Main production equipment
semi-finished, finished rolled[10] pipe, stainless, sheet, plate[10] automotive, building and infrastructure, steel packaging, tools and machinery[11] yes[12] BF; BOF; EAF

Table 4: Plant-level Crude Steel Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Basic oxygen furnace steelmaking capacity Electric arc furnace steelmaking capacity Nominal crude steel capacity (total)
announced 300[13] 300[13]
construction 115[14] 115[14]
operating 4500[10][7] 4500[10][7]

Table 5: Plant-level Crude Iron Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

1Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for an explanation of the different capacity operating statuses.
Capacity operating status1 Blast furnace capacity Nominal iron capacity (total)
construction 50[14] 50[14]
operating 4689[15] 4689[15]

Table 6: Upstream Products Production Capacities (thousand tonnes per annum)

Sinter Coke Pellets
>0 >0 NF

Table 7: Actual Plant-level Crude Steel Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year BOF production Total (all routes)
2019 3883[16] 3883[16]
2020 3516[17] 3516[17]
2021 3831[18] 3831[18]
2022 2939[19] 2939[19]
2023 2466[20] 2466[20]

Table 8: Actual Plant-level Crude Iron Production by Year (thousand tonnes per annum)

Year BF production
2019 unknown
2020 unknown
2021 unknown
2022 unknown
2023 unknown

Unit Details

Table 9: Blast Furnace Details

Unit name Status Announced date Construction date Start date Current size Current capacity (ttpa) Decarbonization technology Most recent relining
BF 6 operating[21] 1977[22][7] 5153.0 m3[7] 4689[15] unknown 2023-01-13[23]
unknown BF (1) construction[14] 2020[14] 2021[14] 2025[24] 150.0 m3[14] 50[14] unknown

Table 10: Electric Arc Furnace Details

Unit name Status Announced date Construction date Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Current capacity (ttpa) Current size (tonnes)
unknown EAF (1) construction[14] 2023[25][26] [25][26] 115[14] 10.0[14]
unknown EAF (2) announced[13] 2023-05-08[13] 2025[13] STARQ[27] 300[13] [13]

Table 11: Electric Arc Furnace Feedstock Details

Unit name Scrap-based % scrap % DRI % HBI % sponge iron (unknown if DRI or HBI) % basic/merchant pig iron % granulated pig iron % pig iron (unknown if basic/merchant or granulated % other iron
unknown EAF (1) None unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown
unknown EAF (2) yes[13] >0[13] unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown

Table 12: Basic Oxygen Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Current capacity (ttpa) Current size
BOF 3 operating[28] 1977[29] QBOP Converter[30] 2858[7][10] 322.0 tonnes[16][7][31]
BOF 4 operating[28] 1994[29] QBOP converter[30] 1642[7][10] 185.0 tonnes[16][7][31]

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of steel power plants, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Iron and Steel Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. "East Japan Works, JFE Steel" (PDF). JFE Steel. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. Sudo, Fumio; Fujii, Tetsuya (June 2001). "Progress in Technological Developments During the Past 50 years at Kawasaki Steel and Future prospects" (PDF). JFE Steel. Retrieved 16 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "JFE Steel Carbon Neutrality Strategy Briefing" (PDF). JFE Steel Corporation. 01 September 2022. Retrieved 20 February, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Publisher, Stainless Steel World (2023-05-15). "JFE installs an electric-arc furnace at Chiba facility". Stainless Steel World. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  5. The Technical Society, The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan (2024). "Production and Technology of Iron and Steel in Japan during 2023". ISIJ International. 64 (8): i–xix. doi:10.2355/isijinternational.64.8app_i.
  6. ta-team (2024-09-27). "2024 Sustainability Report Updates: JFE Holdings". Transition Asia. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20210112024118/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/research/report/001/pdf/001-04.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20211230085735/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/company/steel.html. Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20211229111455/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/company/facilities.html. Archived from the original on 2021-12-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20211230085749/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/works/east/index.html. Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20200725235105/https://www.steeltimesint.com/content-images/news/JFE.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20211230085848/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/works/west/environment.html. Archived from the original on 2021-12-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 https://web.archive.org/web/20240122223357/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2023/230508-1.html. Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230118082314/http://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/company/pdf/carbon-neutral-strategy_220901_1.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-01-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220722183713/https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/blast-furnace. Archived from the original on 2022-07-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220307123856/https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/investor/library/group-report/2020/pdf/all.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. 17.0 17.1 (PDF) https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/investor/library/group-report/2021/pdf/all_A4.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. 18.0 18.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125052809/https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/investor/library/group-report/2022/pdf/all.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. 19.0 19.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240122233041/https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/investor/library/group-report/2023/pdf/all_A4.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. 20.0 20.1 (PDF) https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/common/pdf/investor/library/group-report/2024/7.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. https://www.refwin.com/news/NewsDetail/15377/1/JFESteelResumesOperatingNo.6BlastFurnaceatEastJapanWorks(Chiba);jsessionid=2F0C64873EC53B67A9AACC2B3F155241; https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2023/january/16-20-january-2023/jfe-restarts-rebuilt-blast-furnace https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2023/230116.html; https://www.refwin.com/news/NewsDetail/15377/1/JFESteelResumesOperatingNo.6BlastFurnaceatEastJapanWorks(Chiba);jsessionid=2F0C64873EC53B67A9AACC2B3F155241; https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2023/january/16-20-january-2023/jfe-restarts-rebuilt-blast-furnace. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2023/january/16-20-january-2023/jfe-restarts-rebuilt-blast-furnace. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2023/230116.html, https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2020/201109_02.html https://www.kallanish.com/en/news/steel/market-reports/article-details/jfe-steel-starts-no6-blast-furnace-renovation-0922/, https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2023/230116.html, https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2020/201109_02.html. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. https://www.greins.jp/en/technology/technology03/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. 25.0 25.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240122233750/https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/sustainability/pdf/2023/2023_05.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. 26.0 26.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20241005093949/https://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/sustainability/pdf/2023/2023_05.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. https://web.archive.org/web/20240122233022/https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-news/latest-news/jfe-steel-orders-new-eaf-to-reduce-emissions-1315295.htm. Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. 28.0 28.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20190909051715/http://www.jfe-steel.co.jp:80/en/works/east. Archived from the original on 2019-09-09. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. 29.0 29.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20210614173903/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/archives/en/ksc_giho/no.44/3-17.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-14. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. 30.0 30.1 (PDF) https://www.aist.org/AIST/aist/AIST/Publications/articles/15_Jan_147_157.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. 31.0 31.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220307141135/https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2020/201109_02.html. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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