ABB and Tata Steel UK expand partnership at Port Talbot

The two project scopes by the global technology leader will help ensure safe, efficient and optimised operations when a new 320-ton capacity electric arc furnace (EAF) starts up in 2028.

The global steelmaker is investing more than £1.25bn at the Welsh plant, inclusive of £500m in UK Government support, with focus on the energy transition and decarbonization of its operations. The site will shift to low-emission steel recycling, aiming to cut CO₂ emissions by an estimated 90%. Tata Steel UK has the ambition to produce fossil-free steel by 2045 and reduce 30% of its CO₂ emissions by 2030.

As it begins its work in support of these objectives, ABB will be responsible for the delivery of electrical power distribution equipment, including high and low-voltage switchgear, power transformers and distribution transformers, connected through a power distribution control system across the facility. This will be central to achieving a fully digitally enabled solution for power management and distribution in line with ABB’s ambitions to drive real progress through leaner, cleaner operations.

Under the main contract between Tenova, a leading developer and provider of sustainable solutions for the green transition of the metals industry, and Tata Steel, ABB will deliver its ArcSave electromagnetic stirrer-based metallurgy technology. This equipment, known as Consteerrer is jointly developed by ABB and Tenova, under an exclusive global partnership agreement, and explicitly tailored for continuous charging EAFs. With over 165 references worldwide, it brings about numerous advantages, including a 5-7% increase in EAF productivity, a 3-5% decrease in energy consumption and an additional one percent yield.

It is expected that ABB will commission its technologies by 2027 in time for full operational start-up at Port Talbot. Construction work for Tata Steel’s EAF project is set to begin this year. It will mark the start of a significant transformation in the steelmaking process at the site.

"We’re looking forward to ABB helping us to positively impact the transformation at Port Talbot Steelworks, a site undergoing critical change for the future of UK steelmaking," said Rajesh Nair, CEO, Tata Steel UK. "Their proven technologies and expertise will support our evolving production processes on site, enabling resource and cost efficiencies for the long-term. We’re looking forward to driving this project forward."

"Our team has an established relationship with Tata Steel and Tenova and we know that together we can shape operations to benefit how this steel is made, safely and sustainably," said Frederik Esterhuizen, global business line manager for Metals, ABB Process Industries. "Our aim is to work with our customer and the various suppliers involved in the project to ensure the timelines for commissioning are met and that the region can continue its rich heritage in steelmaking into the future."

ABB provides fully integrated automation, electrification and digitalisation solutions to metals plants for higher productivity, quality and availability. Using the latest technology and relying on more than 100 years of industry knowhow, ABB supports metals manufacturers to fulfill their product demands in both greenfield and modernisation and upgrade projects.

ABB and Tata Steel have established agreements globally, working together to develop innovative models and ways of working with technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of steel production. As industry partners, they have assessed system-level operations across multiple manufacturing plants and production facilities and evaluated where automation, electrification and digital solutions can be used for short-term and long-term gains, including in energy efficiency, decarbonization and circularity.

www.abb.com