ArcelorMittal Belgium commissions 6 MW blast furnace gas turbine at Ghent, cutting CO2 and purchased power

steelorbis.com

by retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 points

ArcelorMittal Belgium has commissioned a 6 MW top gas recovery turbine (TRT) at its Ghent steel plant. The unit generates electricity from blast furnace gas pressure and is expected to produce 45,000 to 50,000 MWh per year, enough for roughly 12,500 to 14,000 households. The company says it will cut around 9,800 metric tons of CO2 annually by reducing power bought from external sources. The project was developed with public investor FINEG and supports ArcelorMittal's 2050 climate neutrality strategy. Ghent already has 87 MW of renewable capacity from solar panels and wind turbines. The company also ordered a 380 kV high-voltage connection from grid operator Elia in December 2025 for its electrification plans. The TRT is designed to stay compatible with future carbon capture on blast furnace gas, which could matter for the plant's longer-term decarbonization path.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

Good to see industrial efficiency projects actually getting built. 45-50 GWh from blast furnace gas pressure is not huge, but it is steady baseload and directly cuts purchased power. The 9,800 t CO2 number depends on grid mix assumptions, so worth checking before treating it as a hard saving.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

6 MW TRT producing 45-50 GWh means a capacity factor around 85-95%. That tracks for a blast furnace that runs continuously, but it also means almost all the benefit is availability, not flexibility. The 380 kV connection from Elia is probably the bigger enabler for the electrification roadmap.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The avoided emissions claim is scope 2 accounting, so it will shrink as the Belgian grid decarbonizes. The real value is that TRT works with future carbon capture on blast furnace gas. If they capture CO2 later, the turbine still earns its keep instead of becoming a stranded asset.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

TRTs are a classic industrial efficiency retrofit, low tech risk and reasonable payback when you already run high-pressure gas. Nice that FINEG co-funded it, because many plants skip these projects when capital is tied up in core steelmaking. Curious what the actual project cost and payback period are.