Tenaris is carrying out an energy investment plan to increase efficiency across its global footprint and contribute to the company’s targets of lowering its carbon emissions intensity.
The $6M USD investment allocated this year – part of a larger, ongoing energy management project - encompasses a range of energy conscious activities from adding energy monitoring meters in some of its mills, switching to LED lighting, electrification of processes and higher efficiency equipment such as compressors, pumps and fans in its plants.
“Energy efficiency is a key element of our decarbonization plan, which entails large scope actions as well as small, quick wins that not only work toward our overall goal, but helps build awareness among our teams, to adopt habits that promote conservation and a more efficient use of energy sources in our day-to-day,” said Carolina Bengochea, Tenaris Global Environmental Director.
The plan also includes the global rollout of a new energy monitoring dashboard, developed by Tenaris, and currently being piloted at its Dalmine plant in Italy, that allows for the real-time monitoring of energy consumption versus standard use, with the ability to analyze trends of each source: electricity, natural gas, water, air, nitrogen, and oxygen. The dashboard aims to consolidate and standardize visual performance indicators, and in the near future, will include notifications to alert of any deviations to guide and inform adjustments at the plants.
Several of our heating furnaces are being studied in order to evaluate the improvements needed to reduce consumption while reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) the main environmental concern related to natural gas furnaces. This is an aspect that Tenaris has been focusing during the last years through the adoption of best available technologies to improve emission levels in its processes, from the steel shops to reheating furnaces.
During 2020, Tenaris NOx emissions represented about 1kg/ton of the finished product, a value which considers Tenaris four steel facilities based in Argentina, Italy, Mexico and Romania, the DRI plant in Argentina and five rolling mill facilities including reheating and heat treatment processes.
To minimize NOx emissions, Tenaris partnered with sister company Tenova which designed best-in class combustion technology burners for reheating furnaces. The company’s plant in Bay City, TX, is equipped with the flameless NOx reducing burners which also improves the use of natural gas, the plant’s sole fuel. Tenova has heavily invested in research & development to improve its combustion process through innovative technologies with the goal of minimizing NOx emissions, reduce and diversify fuel consumption, and optimize performances. As part of an ongoing R&D project, Tenaris will be testing the use of hydrogen as a fuel on one of its furnaces during 2022.
“We recognize the urgent need to act to reduce emissions and tackle the challenges of climate change adopting the best available technologies to optimize our processes and reduce our environmental footprint,” said Bengochea.
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