Düsseldorf/Duisburg (dpa/lnw) - The state of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to support the construction of a more environmentally friendly blast furnace in Duisburg "at least" with a mid three-digit million amount. This was decided by the cabinet, the state government announced on Thursday in Düsseldorf. The "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" (WAZ) had previously reported on it.
Germany's largest steel manufacturer Thyssenkrupp wants to build a so-called direct reduction plant on its premises on the Rhine. It is to produce low-carbon, so-called green steel. The investment costs are more than two billion euros. The federal government also wants to support the project. The contract for construction is expected to be awarded this fall. Production is scheduled to start in 2026.
With the support, the state government wants to contribute "to the preservation and transformation of an important value chain for the entire economy in the state," said NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU). This is a "big step on the way to reconciling climate protection and industry with its attractive jobs". The economic policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, André Stinka, emphasized: "Black-Green must not boast about the one-time declaration of intent, but must continue to do so."
In the plant, hydrogen produced in a climate-neutral manner is to replace the coke previously used in blast furnaces in order to extract oxygen from the iron ore. After a further processing step, pig iron is produced, which can be further processed as before. In return, Thyssenkrupp wants to shut down one of its four conventionally operated blast furnaces in Duisburg.
