New Zealand has announced its largest-ever carbon emissions reduction project in history, a move that equals to removing as many as 300,000 cars off the road. The historic plan, which costs the government $140m, includes transitioning from coal to renewable electricity at the country’s major steel plant Glenbrook, as per Guardian.
With this, the coal used at the plant will be cut in half. To achieve this objective the government is seeking to recycle scrap steel and substitute the generating power with an electric-powered furnace, which is due to be running by 2026-7. About $160m will be contributed by the plant to cover the cost of this carbon reduction project.
Total plant’s emission
At present, the steel industry is responsible for 2% of all emissions in New Zealand. It is due to the extensive coal burning required to transform iron-rich sands into steel products.
Instead, a $300 million electric-powered arc furnace will be installed as part of the new project to melt down scrap steel. The national grid of New Zealand, which is predominantly run by wind, hydro, and geothermal energy, will supply that electricity using renewable energy.
As per the official website of the plant, it uses locally sourced iron sand to produce around 670,000 tonnes of steel a year. It is also New Zealand’s sole producer of flat-rolled steel products, which is a key product used in construction and agricultural industries.
Dwarfs anything done so far: New Zealand PM
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the landmark project “dwarfs anything we have done to date”. “This size of this project demonstrates how serious the government is about reducing New Zealand’s emissions as fast as possible,” he said. “Alone, it will eliminate 1% of the country’s total annual emissions.”
At a time countries are vying to achieve their respective climate goals, this ambitious plan will reduce New Zealand’s emissions by 800,000 tonnes annually, the government said.
This is equivalent to taking the entire automobile fleet of Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s largest cities, off the road. “To understand the scale of this project, it reduces more emissions on its own than all the other 66 [government-funded emissions-reduction] projects we have approved to date,” Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods said.
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Climate change expert professor of Victoria University, James Renwick told the Guardian, “It will be the biggest single reduction in national emissions when it comes into play.” “1% is of national emissions is great, but we need to reduce 100%,” he said. “We need to do a lot more work,” he added.
