Riesa, 06 July 2022.
High-ranking visitors at FERALPI STAHL in Riesa. The symbolic ground-breaking ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff, Chairman of the German Steel Federation, as well as the shareholders and Chairman of the Feralpi Group, Giuseppe Pasini, and Eng. Giacomo Mareschi Danieli, CEO of Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A., were present.
"When we took over the plant in Riesa in 1992," Giuseppe Pasini recalls the beginnings, "we knew we were facing a great challenge that required a lot of energy. We did not lack vision, willpower and courage. We far exceeded expectations and laid the foundations for what has proven to be a real joint success over the years. Not only for FERALPI STAHL, but also for the people and the entire community in which we were welcomed and grew. This would not have been possible if we had not immediately found people in Riesa who are proud of their production tradition and of working in the steel industry. Today we celebrate the start of work that will create a new and important investment. This will help FERALPI STAHL to consolidate its position in the market for structural steels, in order to be a major player in the market in the years to come. The challenges of the coming years for the national and European steel industry are to make the ecological and energy transition sustainable. And this is precisely the direction in which FERALPI STAHL is investing, also in the interest of the new generations."
By the end of 2025/beginning of 2026, FERALPI STAHL will invest more than 180 million euros in the Riesa site. For the Feralpi Group, the issue of sustainability has always been at the heart of its actions: both in relation to the environment, of course, and to its own employees. The steelworks is one of only two in Germany to bear the EMAS seal and continuously invests in steel production and steel processing that is as environmentally friendly as possible. Even though most emissions are already well below the legally prescribed limits, FERALPI STAHL is continuously exploring further possibilities for reduction. "The goal remains green steel," says plant director Uwe Reinecke. "We want to continue to consistently reduce our CO₂ footprint. We are currently at around 52 kilograms per tonne of steel produced and under 80 kilograms per tonne for rolled products. This is far below the average for steel production in electric arc furnaces and, of course, even further below that in conventional steel production via blast furnace routes. Here you get around 1.75 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of steel," says Uwe Reinecke. However, companies are currently pursuing different strategies for decarbonisation, also due to the lack of generally applicable specifications for green steel with consistent CO₂ reduction. With its electric steel made from scrap, FERALPI STAHL has been treading the path to green steel for many years. And is now taking the next logical step. "The new rolling mill will set new standards in terms of innovation and sustainability," says the plant director. "It will be directly connected to the existing continuous casting plant via a 300-metre-long hot charging roller table. Instead of the previous gas heating furnace, we are using induction heating exclusively to avoid direct CO₂ emissions," Reinecke summarises the advantages. The rolling mill will comprise 16 rolling stands, a six-stand finishing block and a spooler line. The K-spooler will produce steel bar coils weighing 8 tonnes - the heaviest coils for the German market for long steel with a diameter of 8 to 25 mm. Big Data and artificial intelligence from Danieli Automation guarantee a real-time connection of the existing continuous casting plant to the new rolling mill and ensure both the reduction of heating energy consumption and the dynamic control of the thermomechanical processes and thus the best possible quality of the end product. The rolling mill is also important for the economic future of the Riesa region, as Minister President Michael Kretschmer emphasises: "The investment in a state-of-the-art rolling mill creates 100 new jobs under sustainable production conditions and is a strong commitment to Saxony as a business location. FERALPI STAHL has been successfully focusing on environmentally friendly steel production for years and is a pioneer in the increased use of green hydrogen. With its activities, the group of companies is making an important contribution to the development of a hydrogen economy in Saxony. Hydrogen is a key technology for a climate-neutral and sustainable industry in the Free State of Saxony."