Thanks to contributions from the federal and provincial governments of a total of $900 million and partnerships from around the world, ArcelorMittal Dofasco will be an important part of the solution to climate change, says Ron.
“This will ensure Dofasco will be here for generations to come.”
The first step of decarbonization will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2030. The second step is to reach net-zero before 2050.
That commitment, which is infused in the company from the executive suites to the newest hires, said Ron, will require the development of new technologies, including hydrogen, biocarbon and carbon capture utilization and storage.
ArcelorMittal's XCarb Innovation Fund is investing in companies developing breakthrough technologies that will accelerate the steel industry’s transition to carbon-neutral steelmaking.
Since its launch in March 2021, XCarb Innovation Fund has committed US$180 million in projects and technologies.
"Things are developing quickly because the brightest people in the world are working on this. The momentum is there. The exact road map isn’t clear yet and there may be uncertainty about the technology but there is no uncertainty about our commitment to get there.”
Developing, planning and executing a project of this scale requires deep expertise at the local and global levels of the company, Tammy told summit delegates. It requires reskilling the workforce to operate and manage new DRI and EAF facilities, doubling electrical and natural gas supplies, and at its peak, a construction program that will see about 900 workers on site.
“When I arrived at Dofasco as a young engineer in 2000 and toured our site, I learned that there were many physical and challenging jobs in the process. In many cases, you are working outside all the time, whether it’s the dead of winter or the heat of summer.”
New assets will mean employees will work in state-of-the-art green facilities after undertaking an estimated 160,000 collective hours of training, Tammy said.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our employees. In 2028, when a new engineer comes to Dofasco and tours the site, they will see a completely different environment than what I saw 28 years before.”
Tammy says she’s proud to work on this project because she can show her children that many people are working on important environmental solutions.
In her remarks at the summit, Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner said ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s decarbonization transformation “is turning the world on its head” and will move Hamilton from Steel City to Green Steel City.
Panel moderator Kate Flynn, general manager of the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College, said steelmaking’s shift to net-zero production is both one of the greatest challenges and one of the greatest opportunities in Canada’s climate change commitments.
Globally, steel production accounts for 7 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Only a few years ago, it seemed the decarbonization of steelmaking was impossible. But the transformation underway now at ArcelorMittal Dofasco will bring incredible opportunities, great jobs and important community benefits,” said Flynn, who is a member of the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Community Liaison Committee.
“I think we will look back on this moment as transformative for our entire community.”