ArcelorMittal supplies CO₂-reduced steel for new underground line

The Luxembourg-based company has provided their XCarb reinforcing steel, which is recycled and renewably produced, to the Hamburger U5 project. The new underground rail line aims to connect the outer districts of the Hanseatic city.

Klaus Uphoff, technical director of the project, said: “For the U5, we have set ourselves the goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 70% during the construction of the new underground line.

“To achieve this, we are looking at the entire supply chain for our building materials, among other things. In our tenders, we only request environmentally sustainable materials.

“ArcelorMittal is one of the suppliers whose end product has significantly reduced CO₂ emissions through the use of recycled scrap and green electricity.”

XCarb reinforcing steel has a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional steel production, as it utilises an electric arc furnace that uses 100% renewable energy and is made from recycled materials.

ArcelorMittal outlined that XCarb production emissions are around 300kg of CO₂ per tonne, rather than around 2,570kg of CO₂ per tonne, which is produced in conventional steel production. This is a reduction in emissions of more than 88%.

The CO₂ reductions are recorded and certified via an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

Joachim Scheibe, managing director of ArcelorMittal Commercial Long Germany added: “It is positive that sustainability has been meaningfully integrated into the procurement process for the construction of the U5.

“More projects like this are needed to establish CO₂-reduced steel in public and private construction projects in the long term.”