The assurance confirms carbon emission savings achieved during the steel production process through use of HBI (hot-briquetted iron) in a blast furnace.
thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG (thyssenkrupp Steel), one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-grade flat steel, has received an independent assurance statement from DNV Business Assurance B.V. for CO2eq emission savings achieved during the steel production process through use of HBI (hot-briquetted iron) in a blast furnace. These savings are then allocated to a quantity of hot rolled coil steel products, which can then be sold with a greatly reduced C02eq emissions intensity, enabling customers to reduce their scope 3 emissions.
The use of HBI is one measure which steel makers can use as a way to reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions from the process, as its use leads to less required carbon input in the form of coal and coke into the blast furnace. Use of HBI in the blast furnace is not a new technology: what is innovative about the methodology developed by thyssenkrupp Steel for bluemint® pure steel is the use of a combination of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) data and data from the operation of steel making assets.
The independent assurance by DNV is designed to ensure that thyssenkrupp Steel’s methodology used to calculate carbon emission savings is robust, and that the carbon emission savings are allocated to steel product quantities in an appropriate way. DNV performed a limited assurance engagement in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000, and we used the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol for Product Accounting and Reporting Standard as part of the criteria against which DNV made the assurance assessment.
“DNV reviewed the methodology developed by thyssenkrupp Steel and the data from an initial trial period of HBI use in a blast furnace at their Duisburg plant. I am pleased that DNV Business Assurance has played an essential role for thyssenkrupp Steel in this landmark launch of bluemint® pure steel products” says Priti Hoffmann, Principal Consultant in DNV.
The assurance process
thyssenkrupp Steel’s use of LCA data – specifically focussed on a single impact category (climate change) - enabled thyssenkrupp Steel to prepare a detailed methodology document, based on the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol for Product Accounting and Reporting Standard. This methodology describes how all material and energy-related flows, as well as climate change impacts from raw material supply until the product (hot-rolled coil), are included (a cradle-to-gate approach). DNV reviewed this methodology, and assessed how carbon emission savings have been allocated to quantities of bluemint® pure steel, and the way in which upstream emissions have been included.
By definition, bluemint® pure products have a specific CO2eq emission intensity of 0.60 kg CO2eq/kg hot-rolled coil, which represents the upstream impact of the conventional hot-rolled coil. DNV reviewed the basis for these calculations, and checked the system created by thyssenkrupp Steel for registering carbon emission savings and bluemint® pure steel certificates that are issued.