AIST European Steel Forum

Steel industry executives from all over the world will present their perspectives, experiences, challenges and road maps to incorporating new technology and transforming their production value chain.

The program will emphasize practical solutions and economic drivers for technology innovation within the European and North American steel industry. Sessions will be devoted to the latest developments in CO2-free steelmaking, CO2-free energy, iron feedstock, digitalization, and plant designs.

Panel discussions will include candid conversation from European and North American industry leaders on key issues and opportunities in the today’s landscape, as well as recruiting strategies to secure the steel workforce of tomorrow.

Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Engaging the Next Generation: Balancing the Talent War and Market Needs
One of the most important questions for those who care about the future of steelmaking is: How can we recruit and, more importantly, retain the next generation of leaders? How do we instill in them a passion for iron and steel technologies? What about the industry could be intriguing to a member of Generation Z, and how is that different from the industry facets that were appealing to Millennials and those of Generation X early in their careers? We'll explore answers to these questions with several leading professors who are teaching the next generation as well as with some of their students.

Digital Innovations in Iron- and Steelmaking
Digital technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics are reshaping steel production, enabling further process optimization, cost reduction and quality improvement. Effective as they may be, however, there is no one standard solution that works equally well across companies and across mills. Successful deployment often requires a tailored approach. During this discussion, several steelmakers will discuss their experiences in using these tools to solve problems at their facilities and the benefits they realized. They will also share some of the challenges they faced, such as the need for new skills and integrating different systems.

Iron Feedstock Strategies for a Transforming Steel Industry
The steel industry is swiftly decarbonizing, transforming business models across the entire production chain. As new process routes are considered, the selection and availability of raw materials will become even more important in choosing production technologies. Our panel of experts will discuss the status of new technologies, the economic availability of raw materials, and the role of scrap and other metallic inputs in the green steel transition.

Steel Industry Leader Panel
The post-COVID steel boom appears to have run its course, and producers are now contending with lower demand, higher economic uncertainty and even higher energy prices. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation and increasing interest rates remain ongoing challenges for producers on both sides of the Atlantic. But in the midst of this uncertainty, mills are embarking upon multi-generational investments necessary to meet climate goals. In this session, several industry leaders from both the EU and the U.S. will share perspectives on the difficult landscape and the opportunities therein.

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen From Methane Pyrolysis — Opportunities and Challenges"
Hydrogen with reduced carbon footprint is key for the transition of steel industry toward climate neutrality. The production of green hydrogen by water electrolysis demands significant amounts of renewable electricity. A promising alternative is the production of hydrogen by methane pyrolysis. The keynote lecture reflects on opportunities and challenges of methane pyrolysis and introduces the ongoing, cross-disciplinary methane pyrolysis activities at Montanuniversität Leoben.

Transformation of the European Steel lndustry for Carbon Neutrality
During the past year, the European steel industry made significant progress toward its 2030 CO2 reduction goals. Transformative projects at a number of companies received board approval and governmental financial support. Meanwhile, a new steel producer promising the European continent’s first carbon-neutral greenfield plant has broken ground on its project. And still others are speeding up their timelines, proposing to achieve carbon neutrality by the early 2030s instead of the 2040s. Representatives from several steel producers will update us on the status of their transformation efforts, highlighting the milestones they have reached so far as well as the obstacles that are ahead.

Carbon-Free Energy Sources for the European Steel Industry
Even as European steel producers begin construction on transformative capital investments, a critical question remains unanswered: Will the steel industry have access to domestic, renewably produced electricity and hydrogen and in industrial quantities when these projects are completed? Some argue that these resources are still decades away, and therefore, EU producers will have to import their energy. We’ll explore the most likely import sources of hydrogen for direct reduction plants as well as the logistics and infrastructure needed to deliver it to them. We’ll also discuss the coming competition between EU steelmakers and other energy-intensive sectors for CO2-free electricity.

Innovation in Steel Plant Design
Representatives from major steel equipment manufacturers will trade views of steel's technological future, discussing the latest plant designs and equipment innovations that are enhancing production, improving safety, and reducing steel‘s environmental impact. Panelists will focus on new digital products and services as well as technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions.

Thursday, 19 October 2023

Plant Tours

• Tour of Montanuniversität Leoben Lab and voestalpine Donawitz, HyFOR and HPSR testing plant
• Tour of Abenteuer Erzberg