New ladle refractory lining facility for CO2-reduced steel
Once governmental approval (environmental impact assessment) was issued in February 2025, the phase of detailed planning, tendering and contract awarding began for the new refractory lining at the voestalpine site in Linz. Construction of the new ladle refractory lining facility began recently on schedule.
New primary processing facility
Reconstruction of Ladle Drying Plant 9 is essential for the new refractory technology and ladle relining. Here the refractory-lined ladles are heated to ensure the efficient and environmentally friendly production of crude steel. Assembly of this new primary processing facility will begin in early 2026 at the latest and will commence operations at the beginning of November 2026.
Extensive work activities
Track L1, which was previously used for ladle transports, was removed in April. The new transports will be on the roadway. The industrial water pipeline from the founding years with a diameter of 70 cm was replaced. It is now state of the art and protected from external influences under the new bay roof. Following necessary preparatory measures, the two main support foundations were excavated. They are most important elements for the extension of the structure.
Next steps
The primary construction work activities are scheduled to be completed in the middle of November 2025. Completion of the bay extension is scheduled for the spring of 2026. The work activities are taking place in parallel with ongoing production operations and require a great deal of cooperation between the project team and the operating personnel. By the end of next year, the refractory equipment will be prepared for startup of the first electric arc furnace in Linz.
To greentec steel
The greentec steel project of voestalpine is an ambitious step-by-step plan that makes a valuable contribution to the achievement of the climate goals. As a first step, the voestalpine Group plans to replace two blast furnaces with two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) by the year 2027. The investment volume amounts to roughly 1.5 billion euros. Carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 30% as early as 2029 by making this switch from the blast furnace to the EAF. This corresponds to a savings of nearly 4 million tons of CO2 per year, amounting to nearly 5% of the carbon emissions in Austria. This makes greentec steel the largest climate protection program in Austria. The two electric-arc furnaces will enable voestalpine to produce roughly 2.5 million tons of carbon-reduced steel by the year 2027, roughly 1.6 million tons in Linz and 850,000 tons in Donawitz. Learn more about greentec steel here.