Tag Archives: ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal Mining Canada becomes first Quebec miner to use electric buses for worker transport

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ArcelorMittal Mining Canada says it has reached another milestone in its energy transition by becoming the first mining company in Québec and the first company on the North Shore to use electric buses to transport its workers.

The eight buses that will be used by ArcelorMittal were manufactured in Saint-Jérôme by the Lion Electric Company. They will be operated by Transport Therrien, a Fermont-based company that is part of Groupe Autobus Maheux, while the design and installation of the charging infrastructure was undertaken by Cléo, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec.

Mapi Mobwano, President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, said: “With the arrival of electric buses for our employees, we are continuing to implement our sustainable development strategy. We are particularly pleased about being the first in Québec to bring this plan to fruition in collaboration with local companies like Lion Electric, Transport Therrien and Cléo, who are teaming up with us to help us reduce our carbon footprint.”

Pierre Maheux, President of Groupe Autobus Maheu, added: “We are proud to participate in decarbonising our industry by using electric vehicles. Since acquiring our first electric bus in 2016, we have developed the expertise to meet the energy transition challenge in northern environments. Today, we pay tribute to ArcelorMittal’s leadership. This unprecedented project proves that it is now possible to operate a fleet of electric buses north of the 53rd parallel.”

To support and encourage the electrification of transportation, ArcelorMittal has also started installing electric charging stations at its Mont-Wright and Port-Cartier facilities. Twelve FLO charging stations have already been installed and more will be installed within a few months. These stations are accessible at all times and are free of charge for employees.

ArcelorMittal Mining Canada is Canada’s largest supplier of iron ore to the global steel market, with production of approximately 26 Mt/y of iron ore concentrate. It operates a mining complex, a crusher and a concentrator in Mont-Wright, a mine in Fire Lake, and a pellet plant in Port-Cartier.

In operation since 1974, its Mont-Wright mine covers 24 sq.km, making it one of the largest open-pit deposits in Canada.

ArcelorMittal aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

BHP and China’s HBIS Group Co Ltd expand partnership to CCUS tech trial

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BHP has signed an agreement for piloting of carbon capture and utilisation technology with China’s HBIS Group Co Ltd (HBIS), one of the world’s largest steelmakers and a major iron ore customer of BHP.

As part of this new project, HBIS and BHP will trial pilot-scale demonstrations of carbon capture and utilisation technologies at HBIS’ steel operations in China. The trial will develop and test technologies that can be integrated into steel production processes to reduce the CO2 emissions. These include Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption, VPSA, an alternative technology to capture the CO2, and two utilisation technologies (slag mineralisation and biological conversion to protein) to sequester the CO2.

In addition, BHP will support HBIS in developing and deploying absorptive desulphurisation at HBIS ZXHT Hydrogen Metallurgy Demonstration Project in Xuanhua, Hebei, intended to enable the utilisation of circa-60,000 t/y of captured CO2 from the direct reduced iron (DRI) process in the food or industrial sectors.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “Our multi-faceted partnership with HBIS will now include pilot testing of novel carbon capture technology at their operating sites in Hebei, and builds on the separate carbon capture trial with ArcelorMittal, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry and Mitsubishi Development, announced in October 2022. Hebei province accounts for around 20% of China’s reported steel production and represents one of the locations in which we aim to support future carbon capture, utilisation and storage initiatives. With our support, HBIS will also be pilot testing options for the utilisation of captured carbon dioxide for the production of saleable products and sequestration in waste slag.”

This new agreement expands on the work streams envisaged in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by BHP and HBIS in 2021, together with the Phase 1 research and development work announced in 2022 with HBIS and University of Science and Technology Beijing. In separate work under the MoU, BHP has also supported HBIS in Enhanced Lump trials, aimed at developing processes for improving direct feed iron ore lump use to achieve incremental reductions in carbon dioxide emissions intensity of steel production, at one of the steelmaker’s plants in Hebei province.

BHP’s latest collaboration agreement with HBIS will tap into the investment of up to $15 million over three years proposed by BHP and HBIS in the MoU signed in 2021.

HBIS Chairman, Yu Yong, said: “BHP is a globally renowned resource company and a long-term partner with HBIS with shared goals in relation to the development of technologies to abate carbon emissions in the steel-making sector. The signing of these projects is another milestone since the two parties’ ‘Memorandum of Understanding for Strategic Collaboration in Climate Change’ signed in 2021, it starts a new journey in jointly exploring CCUS technology developments in the steel sector.”

Chairman Yu also stated: “HBIS is committed to being a leader, explorer, and practitioner in the industry’s transition to lower carbon emissions. CCUS has been identified as a breakthrough technology for reducing carbon emissions from steel and this has anchored CCUS technology as a key component in HBIS Group’s low-carbon technology roadmap. In the future, HBIS will continue to focus on the goal of jointly addressing climate change, deepening cooperation with industry value chain partners, adhering to the concept of sustainable development, and consistently cultivating and investing in the green and low-carbon field.”

K2fly and ArcelorMittal Mining UK agree on resource governance pact

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K2fly Limited says ArcelorMittal Mining UK has selected K2fly’s Resource Disclosure and Model Manager solutions, within its Mineral Resource Governance solution area, to support the wider ArcelorMittal group’s reporting obligations as a publicly listed company reporting under US SEC S-K 1300 guidelines.

The five-year agreement with K2fly will generate a total contract value of A$1.9 million ($1.3 million) and represents the first joint sale of K2fly’s Resource Disclosure solution coupled with Model Manager.

Resource Disclosure enables clients to capture the raw resource and reserve data and report to multiple stock exchanges to remain compliant, while Model Manager helps improve governance over resource and reserve data, including meshes, wireframes, triangulations and models, according to K2fly.

The two solutions are set to be used across all 10 mining regions within the ArcelorMittal group, including in Canada, Africa and elsewhere.

Nic Pollock, CEO of K2fly, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce our first contract with ArcelorMittal (Mining UK). We are also thrilled that this is the first joint sale of our K2fly Resource Disclosure Solution coupled with Model Manager. This realises the vision driving the acquisition of Sateva which brought us Model Manager, a very natural fit with our Resource Reporting solution.

“This combination offers our customers a deeper governance and transparency solution and efficiencies around block model management on an enterprise-wide basis. This combination is one of the holy grails of the mining industry, linking the model management and resource disclosure systems.”

In addition to the ArcelorMittal contract win, K2fly recently reported that Mineral Resources Ltd had signed up to use Model Manager and Ore Blocker – a technical assurance module – as part of a three-year contract. This will see the solutions used across MinRes’ iron ore and lithium operations across Australia.

ArcelorMittal contracts Metso Outotec for iron ore processing plant revamp in Mexico

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Metso Outotec says it has been awarded a contract to supply key grinding equipment for ArcelorMittal’s Las Truchas 2.3 Mt/y iron ore processing plant revamp project in Mexico.

The value of the order is approximately €17 million ($19 million), to be booked in the Minerals division’s Q4 (December quarter), 2021 orders received.

The order includes two Metso Outotec Premier™ grinding mills with a total installed power of 19 MW. In addition, Metso Outotec will deliver an in-house designed Mill Reline Machine, enabling efficient and safe replacement of the steel and rubber lining systems, an operations-friendly Select™ Ball Feeder and spare parts, the company said.

Andy Lingenfelter, Vice President, Minerals Sales, North and Central America at Metso Outotec, said: “We are pleased to have been chosen for this project. In Mexico, Metso Outotec is a leading grinding mill supplier and is supported by our strong local service and consumables presence.

“With our Planet Positive Premier grinding mills and associated life cycle service offerings, our customer will be able to expand their iron ore production in a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible way in partnership with us.”

ArcelorMittal Mining Canada to add flotation columns at Port-Cartier as part of DRI pellet move

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ArcelorMittal Mining Canada is investing in a project using a new flotation system at its Port-Cartier pellet plant in Quebec, Canada, that will allow it to convert its 10 Mt/y pellet production to direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets by the end of 2025.

The announcement was by ArcelorMittal and the Government of Quebec at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, this week.

The C$205 million ($165 million) investment, in which the Quebec government will contribute through an electricity rebate of up to C$80 million, will enable the Port-Cartier plant to become one of the world’s largest producers of DRI pellets, the raw material feedstock for ironmaking in a DRI furnace, ArcelorMittal said.

The implementation of the flotation system (see graphic below) will enable a significant reduction of silica in the iron ore pellets, facilitating the production of a very high-quality pellet, according to the company. It will also include new tailings and concentrator thickeners and new additives for the grinding process.

“The project will deliver a direct annual CO2e reduction of approximately 200,000 t at AMMC’s Port-Cartier pellet plant, equivalent to over 20% of the pellet plant’s total annual CO2e emissions,” the company added. This reduction in CO2e emissions will be achieved through a reduction in the energy required during the pelletising process.

A DRI plant uses natural gas to reduce iron ore, resulting in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared with coal-based blast furnace ironmaking.

In Hamburg, Germany, ArcelorMittal is trialling replacing natural gas with hydrogen to make DRI, with its industrial-scale pilot project anticipated to be commissioned before the end of 2025.

The DRI installations the company has announced it is developing in Belgium, Canada and Spain are all being constructed to be hydrogen-ready, so as and when green hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities at affordable prices the company can produce DRI with near zero-carbon emissions.

Approximately 250 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the project in Port-Cartier, which is scheduled to be begin mid-2023 and complete before the end of 2025.

Quebec Premier, François Legault, said: “We are positioning our regions at the heart of the green economy of tomorrow. My message to companies looking for a place to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is come and see us. We’ll help you carry out your projects promptly. Quebec is the best place in the world to invest in the green economy. To build together a greener, more prosperous and prouder Quebec.’’

Aditya Mittal, ArcelorMittal CEO, said: “This project has an important role to play in our efforts to reduce our group’s CO2e emissions intensity by 25% by 2030, and our longer-term ambition to reach net zero by 2050. Not only does it deliver a significant reduction in our emissions at AMMC, but it also expands our ability to produce high-quality DRI pellets, which we will need in significant volumes as we transition to DRI-EAF steelmaking at our steel plants in Canada and Europe.

“I am grateful to Premier Legault and his government for the support it is providing in realising this project. It is the first significant decarbonisation project we have announced for our mining business and fitting that we are able to make this announcement at COP26 as it exemplifies the transformational change we need to deliver this decade as we move towards becoming a carbon-neutral business.”

Mapi Mobwano, CEO, ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, added: “This investment will see us become one of the biggest direct reduction pellet producers in the world, thereby propelling ArcelorMittal Mining Canada into the forefront of mining and steel decarbonisation. From 2025 onwards we will have the capacity to produce 10 Mt of very high-quality iron oxide pellets, with low silica content and high iron density, which will be highly strategic in the years ahead.”

BELAZ partnering up with Canadian company for electric dump truck design

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BELAZ is planning to work with a Canadian company to design an electric dump truck, according to a report from Belarus news agency BelTA.

In an interview with BelTA, Director General Piotr Parkhomchik said a document to design the battery-electric vehicle had been drawn up and BELAZ intended to get finance from the Canadian firm. He named the customer as steel and iron ore giant ArcelorMittal.

Parkhomchik also noted that battery longevity represented the main problem in designing such a dump truck, with current available solutions allowing trucks to run for three to four hours. “We need at least eight hours with 20-30 minutes of downtime for recharging,” he told BelTA.

“Mainly electric excavators are used in Russian quarries. Our competitors already make dump trucks powered by batteries for underground mining,” he added.

Harsco receives decade-long extension at ArcelorMittal Tubarao

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The metals and minerals division of diversified industrial firm Harsco Corp has won a 10-year extension to its contract with Brazil steel producer ArcelorMittal Tubarao.

The $150 million agreement will include meltshop cleaning, slag handling and crushing, metal recovery, and drop ball services.

Harsco Metals & Minerals Chief Operating Officer Russ Mitchell said: “This agreement is key to maintaining our strong strategic presence in Latin America, and it underpins our commitment to our customer by delivering value and adding solutions with the highest quality and safety standards.”

Tubarao is one of the largest integrated steel mills in Brazil, with an annual production capacity of 7.5 Mt/y.

Harsco says its metals and minerals division is the largest and most comprehensive provider of onsite material processing and environmental services to the global metals industry, with operations at approximately 140 customer sites across more than 30 countries.

It provides customers with economically and environmentally viable solutions for the treatment and reuse of production waste streams, according to the company. It has been particularly successful in providing these services to the steel and aluminium industries.