State-of-the-art automation ensures greater operational efficiency and safety
With a transformer output of 300 MVA, it is one of the most powerful electric arc furnaces in the world

SMS group received the order to supply one of the world's most powerful alternating current electric arc furnaces (AC-EAF) and its ancillary facilities to Saarstahl in Völklingen. This will contribute to SHS's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

Jochen Burg, CEO of SMS group:  "We are proud to play a key role in Europe's green steel transformation with this major project for Saarstahl and SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar. The project underlines the long-standing partnership between SHS and SMS group. With a connected load of 300 MVA, the new EAF is the largest electric arc furnace ever built by SMS group and will set a new milestone on the way to a CO2 _- neutral future for the European steel industry."

The new 185-ton electric arc furnace will be built in an already designated brownfield area. With a transformer output of 300 MVA, it is one of the most powerful electric arc furnaces in the world. It will also process a flexible mix of up to 100 percent scrap or 80 percent CDRI (cold sponge iron)/HBI (sponge iron briquettes) and 20 percent scrap.

As the largest EAF ever built by SMS group, with a vessel diameter of 9.3 meters, it will have an annual capacity of 1.9 million tons of liquid steel.

This investment reinforces SHS's strategic plan to use a mix of 70-85 percent natural gas and 30-15 percent hydrogen as an energy source by 2030, thus significantly reducing CO ₂

emissions. With Phase I starting in October 2024 and the first melt expected in September 2028, the plant will produce various steel grades, including bearing steel, free-cutting steel and spring steel.

The EAF will be equipped with Condoor ^® , SMS's improved slag door, which offers significant benefits in terms of safety, productivity, energy savings and environmental impact. Condoor ^®  enables automatic operation, reduces idle time, ensures a clean slag door threshold, saves energy and reduces NOx emissions with a sealed vessel. In addition, it optimizes slag residence time, improves flux and raw material usage while reducing electrode, carbon and lime consumption, thus lowering the CO ₂ footprint.

The scope of supply also includes material management with bunkers specifically designed for certain production grades, liquid steel management, repair area for FF lining, water treatment plant, compressed air piping, two flue gas treatment plants, energy recovery and electrical/automation systems, sound insulation, trolleys with hybrid technology for scrap bucket movements, auxiliary cranes and hall and field piping.

The EAF will be equipped with SMS group's advanced X-Pact ^{® automation, including X-Pact}^®  Sense for leak detection and X-Pact ^®  Autotap for safe and automated tapping. For predictive maintenance, Genius CM ^® will be implemented to increase operational efficiency and safety. Other innovations include SafEBT-clean for automatic cleaning of the eccentric bottom tapping channel (EBT) to ensure maximum spontaneous EBT openings, and SafEBT-fill for automatic sand filling, temperature measurement and probe changing.

Hydrogen Trains on the Heidekrautbahn are expected to start in late 2024