Nippon Steel plans to product carbon neutral steel in Japan. Hydrogen rather than coke? Or carbon capture mentioned. Or “alternative energy sources.” Electric furnace?
For Japan, the only clean energy sources that make sense for that application are hydro power and nuclear. Japan produces a small percentage of electricity from hydro, but they have not grown hydro generation since the 1990s. What they need to do is restart their idled nuclear power plants.
https://news.yahoo.com/tokyo-steel-calling-faster-nuclear-02…
Headline: Tokyo Steel Calling for Faster Nuclear Power Revival in Japan
(Bloomberg) – A major Japanese steel-maker is calling for a quicker restart of nuclear reactors that were idled after the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago as it grapples with soaring energy costs.
And…
The Japan Iron and Steel Federation has also been calling for a quicker restart of the reactors, as has Keidanren, the country’s biggest business lobby group. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last month that Japan must consider using more nuclear power as the nation, which imports most of its energy, struggles with rising fuel prices and a weakening yen.
See chart in the link below for Japan’s sources of electricity. The large majority of power comes from natural gas, coal, and oil.
https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-browser?country…
- Pete