[ad_1]
Steelmaker SSAB is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in Sweden with approximately ten percent of Sweden’s emissions. The company now confirms that it is in talks about the purchase of the Ijmuiden steel plant in the Netherlands.
More than double the emissions
-If there is an acquisition of Ijmuiden, we believe it will expand our product range and strengthen our position in the market. In this way, we can also strengthen the muscles to implement climate measures, Mia Widell, who is a press manager for SSAB, tells SVT.
The Dutch steelmaker emits 12.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, more than double that of SSAB in Sweden (5.5 million tonnes). The steel mill also received nearly 3,000 environmental complaints in 2018.
No fossils, in the future
At the same time, SSAB wants to get rid of fossils through a new technology that excludes coal, called Hybrit. It will be installed in one of SSAB’s Swedish steelworks in 2026. But a completely fossil-free SSAB is far in the future.
– We aim to stop having fossils in our existing operations by 2045, says Mia Widell at SSAB.
Meanwhile, SSAB could own even more production of carbon-based steel than at present if the purchase is made.
The government is silent
The Swedish state has the greatest power in SSAB indirectly through its ownership in the state-owned mining company LKAB, which is therefore the strongest voice of the steel company.
Trade and Industry Minister Ibrahim Baylan declined to comment because the acquisition has not been confirmed. And the Minister of Environment and Climate Isabella Lövin does not have time for any comment.
