Kobe Kakogawa Works steel plant

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Kobe Kakogawa Works steel plant, also known as Kabushiki Gaisha Kobe Seikosho Kakogawa Works, is a steel plant in Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan that operates blast furnace (BF), basic oxygen furnace (BOF), electric arc furnace (EAF), and direct reduced iron (DRI) technology.

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the plant in Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan:

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  • Location: 1, Kanazawacho, 675-0137, Japan
  • Coordinates (WGS 84): 34.720268, 134.826275 (exact)

Background

In 2020, Kobe Steel reached a non-binding agreement with Vale and Mitsui to work on low-CO2 iron making, specifically Midrex Technologies DRI.[1] It's still unclear when or where Kobe will build DRI plant, however.

In May 2022, Kobe Steel in a statement said that its "Kobenable Steel" will utilize a blast furnace process that involves charging a large amount of hot-briquetted iron. The HBI utilized in the process is produced by the MIDREX® Process.[2]

Between April to June 2023, the company successfully demonstrated the technology that reduced CO2 emissions by 25%.[3]

In May 2024, the company announced its plans to building electric arc furnace based capacity in a bid to go greener. The plan is to move to a scheme with one blast furnace and one electric furnace. The investment decision is expected to be made in the next three years.[4][5] The company's application for GX financing has been postponed as of November 2024.[6]

Plant Details

Table 1: General Plant Details

Start date Workforce size Power source Iron ore source Coal source
1970[7] 2505[8] unknown Australia, Brazil, India[9][10] Australia, Canada, USA[9][10]

Table 2: Ownership and Parent Company Information

Parent company Parent company PermID Parent company GEM ID Owner Owner company PermID Owner company GEM ID
Kobe Steel Ltd 4295877348 E100000000647 Kobe Steel Ltd[11] 4295877348 E100000000647

Table 3: Process and Products

Steel product category Steel products Steel sector end users ISO 14001 Main production equipment
semi-finished, finished rolled[10] wire rod, sheet, plate, hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized sheet[9][10] automotive, building and infrastructure, tools and machinery, transport[10] yes[12] BF; DRI; 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 – 0 0
operating 4536[9][13][8] – 4536[9][13][8]
operating pre-retirement 600[9][13][8] – 600[9][13][8]

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 Sponge iron/DRI capacity Nominal iron capacity (total)
operating 7738[9] 16[14] 7754[9][14]
retired 3650[9] – 3650[9]

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

Sinter Coke Pellets
6132[9] 2500[9] 4015[15][9]

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

Year BOF production Other/unknown steel production Total (all routes)
2019 5660[16] –[16] 5660[16]
2020 6420[16] –[16] 6420[16]
2021 6030[16] –[16] 6030[16]
2022 5865[17] –[17] 5865[17]
2023 –[18] 5900[18] 5900[18]

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

Year BF production Other/unknown iron production
2019 unknown unknown
2020 unknown unknown
2021 unknown unknown
2022 unknown unknown
2023 unknown unknown

Unit Details

Table 9: Blast Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Retired date Current size Current capacity (ttpa) Decarbonization technology Most recent relining
BF 1 retired[19][20] 1970[9] 2007[20] 4550.0 m3[8] 3650[9] "kobenable" steel, using HBI in the blast furnace[21] 1988-01[9]
BF 2 operating[19][20][22] 1973[9] – 5400.0 m3[9] 4088[9] unknown 2007-05[23]
BF 3 operating[8] 1978[9] – 4500.0 m3[8] 3650[9] A demonstration was run using this BF using the Midrex process with hydrogen as a reductant, cutting up to 20% of emissions. Now advertising "kobenable" steel using HBI in the blast furnace.[21][24][25][26][27] 2016-12-23[28]

Table 10: Direct Reduced Iron Furnace Details

Unit name Status Start date Furnace manufacturer and model Furnace type Current capacity (ttpa) Reductant
unknown DRI (1) operating[14] 2001[14] Kobelco FASTMET[14][14] hearth[14] 16[14] coal[14]

Table 11: Electric Arc Furnace Details

Unit name Status Announced date Start date Current capacity (ttpa)
unknown EAF (1) announced[29] 2024 2030[18] 0

Table 12: Electric Arc Furnace Feedstock Details

Unit name Scrap-based
unknown EAF (1) None

Table 13: Basic Oxygen Furnace Details

Unit name Status Retired date Current capacity (ttpa) Current size
unknown BOF (1) operating[8] – 2268[8][13][9] 250.0 tonnes[9][10]
unknown BOF (2) operating[8] – 2268[8][13][9] 250.0 tonnes[8][10][9][30]
unknown BOF (3) operating pre-retirement[18] 2030[18] 600[8][13][9] 250.0 tonnes[8][10][9][30]

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. ↑ "Kobe Steel, Vale and Mitsui to work on low CO2 ironmaking". Reuters. 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. ↑ "Kobe Steel Unveils Low-CO₂ Blast Furnace Steel". AIST. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "Kobe Steel cuts BF carbon emissions by 25% at Kakogawa Works with new technology". www.steelorbis.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ↑ "Kobe Steel considers building EAF in bid to go greener". Steel Times International. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  5. ↑ "Japan's Kobe Steel considers new EAF to accelerate decarbonization". www.steelorbis.com. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  6. ↑ "Japan's JFE Steel has applied for a government subsidy for decarbonization". GMK. 1730814589. Retrieved 2024-12-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220709123736/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/index.html. Archived from the original on 2022-07-09. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 https://web.archive.org/web/20220121171055/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/steel/locations/index.html. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 9.25 9.26 9.27 (PDF) https://www.kobelco.co.jp/products/download/steel-aluminum/files/kakogawa_works_e/kakogawa_works_e.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 https://web.archive.org/web/20220421194559/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/products/visual_tour/kakogawa_works/. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220112163205/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/about_kobelco/kobesteel/locations/domestic/index.html. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220318083614/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/about_kobelco/csr/environment/2012/14001.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 https://web.archive.org/web/20220126133957/https://www.reuters.com/article/kobesteel-furnace/japans-kobe-steel-to-shut-blast-furnace-in-2017-18-idUSL3N0EA20S20130529. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 "FASTMET® Process Products". www.kobelco.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2024-12-18. Retrieved 2024-12-16. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Text "KOBE STEEL, LTD." ignored (help)
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220618155737/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/ktr/ktr_38.html. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125235953/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/about_kobelco/outline/integrated-reports/files/integrated-reports2023_e.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Business report" (PDF). kobelco.co.jp. 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2570284-japan-s-kobelco-to-shut-basic-oxygen-furnace-build-eaf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220207220912/https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/ktr/pdf/ktr_38/038-045.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-02-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20180203224255/http://annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/k/OTC_KBSTF_2008.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-03. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220819200014/https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2022/may/kobe-steel-unveils-low-co%E2%82%82-blast-furnace-steel. Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ↑ (PDF) https://static.aminer.org/pdf/PDF/000/220/833/flexible_manufacturing_and_high_performance_system_for_steel_plants.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ↑ (PDF) https://www.kobelco.co.jp/products/download/steel-aluminum/files/kakogawa_works_e/kakogawa_works_e.pdf https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/k/OTC_KBSTF_2008.pdf, https://www.kobelco.co.jp/products/download/steel-aluminum/files/kakogawa_works_e/kakogawa_works_e.pdf. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240126000359/https://issuu.com/quartzbusinessmedia/docs/sustainable_steel_strategies_summit_september_2022/s/16887845. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240126000204/https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-news/latest-news/kobe-steel-cuts-bf-carbon-emissions-by-25-at-kakogawa-works-with-new-technology-1311037.htm. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240126000313/https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/75242/. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220929232502/https://www.h2bulletin.com/japans-kobe-steel-technology-can-cut-blast-furnace-emission-by-20/. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/releases/2014/1189522_13891.html https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/releases/1196084_15581.html, https://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/releases/2014/1189522_13891.html. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-news/latest-news/japans-kobe-steel-considers-new-eaf-to-accelerate-decarbonization-1341189.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20171021104935/http://www.kobelco.co.jp:80/english/releases/2014/1189522_13891.html. Archived from the original on 2017-10-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Resources

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