By our economics editors
Oct 8, 2023 at 5:05 PM Update: 28 minutes ago
An emission-free steel factory is not possible anywhere in the world, CEO TV Narendran of the Indian Tata Steel said on Sunday in the TV program Outside court. He has major doubts whether Tata will be able to operate without coal at IJmuiden in 2030, as D66 wants.
“Steel production will always have emissions. But we are committed to doing better than the rules require,” Narendran said. “Every industry emits something, but those emissions must be as clean and green as possible. We want to be at the forefront and we want to do that in the Netherlands.”
The Tata factory near IJmuiden is working on a transition plan to produce cleaner steel. But according to interest groups and politicians, things are not happening fast enough. That is why D66 suggested imposing a ban on state production using coal in 2030.
Narendran doubts whether this is practically feasible. “I don’t actually know if you can do without coal at all. Can you switch to another energy source in such a short time? We have seen what happened in the gas market last year,” he refers to the sharp increase in natural gas prices last year.
“Or are we guaranteed that there is enough hydrogen? We need more than 300,000 tons. And at what cost? Because we have to compete internationally with France, Germany and Belgium.”
Government support is needed
According to the Indian, financial support from the government is needed to make Tata Steel cleaner, in addition to investments from the company itself. “You won’t find a steel company anywhere in the world that makes the transition without government support.”
In July, Germany and France received approval from the European Commission to help steel manufacturers in their countries switch to cleaner production methods with hundreds of millions of euros.
Last month, the RIVM presented a report stating that the life expectancy of residents of nearby Wijk aan Zee is on average 2.5 months shorter due to Tata Steel’s emissions. Emissions from the steel factory also increase the risk of lung cancer and asthma. Narendran said he is concerned about that. “We will have to do more to address this.”
Beeld: Getty Images
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2023-10-08 15:05:27
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