Decarbonisation in steel industry can contribute in low carbon economy for Jharkhand at a workshop of Sustainable energy Transition

Ranchi: A stakeholder consultation ‘Green Steel: Transition to Low Carbon Future in Jharkhand’ was jointly organised by the Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition, Government of Jharkhand and its technical partner Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) in Ranchi on Thursday. 

The main objective of the roundtable consultation was to deliberate on the pathways to decarbonise the steel manufacturing sector to achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions and move towards sustainable energy transition and net-zero scenario in the state. 

Jharkhand is one of the biggest producers of steel in India. 

Making steel is largely seen as a highly carbon-intensive activity. 

The energy consumption in the iron and steel industry is currently the highest of any other industrial sector. 

Considering significant energy and natural resources consumed in the steel market’s rapid expansion, the sector needs to change its business and operation activities as per the energy efficient and lower carbon emission standards.

 IAS, Secretary, Department of Industries Jitendra Kumar Singh said that ‘Steel is the most essential building and engineering materials and one of key resources of modern infrastructure. 

The state has a good presence of steel manufacturing industries, which require adoption of sustainability based business operations to achieve its economic goals and net-zero ambitions. 

The steel sector should increasingly adopt decarbonisation measures as a key priority. The department is ready to create an enabling framework, providing hand-holding support and guidelines to enable the sector to produce green steel to contribute in making a low carbon economy in the state.’

 Chairman of Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition A.K. Rastogi (IFS Retd.) said that “Jharkhand is an industrialised state with a strong presence of hard to abate industries such as iron-steel, transport vehicles, cement and others. 

As a part of the work, the task force has identified these sectors to sensitise the industry people and other stakeholders through a series of consultations on the need of decarbonisation and to take note of their concerns and aspirations in a mutually discussed manner. 

This consultation with the steel segment will identify the possible intervention areas for a possible action plan and decarbonisation pathway which will contribute in strengthening the process sustainable energy transition in the state.’

 CEO of CEED Ramapati Kumar said, ‘A comprehensive action plan is necessary to fully utilise the potential of green steel in Jharkhand. 

This includes creating a guiding-pathway for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, particularly the iron and steel segment, and promoting collaboration between government, industry, techno-solution providers and think-tank to drive the cleaner energy transition process for a sustainable future.’

The consultation mooted key ideas and solutions in the technical session with experts and industry representatives across the state.

Futuristic industrial & manufacturing planning, encouraging decarbonisation measures, harnessing carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies, need of incentives for the industries, avenues of financial mechanisms, deployment of innovative technologies, and developing short and long-term pathways for the sector.

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