Hyundai Steel Commits to Building a Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Steel Company

Targeting the Eco-Friendly LNG Market through Ultra-Low Temperature Thick Plate Development

Hyundai Steel Dangjin Steelworks

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Hyundai Steel is dedicating itself to innovation to become a steel company capable of sustainable growth.

They have developed thick plates with excellent impact resistance even at cryogenic temperatures to target the eco-friendly LNG (liquefied natural gas) market, and are reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing blast furnace fuel with cattle manure.

According to Hyundai Steel on the 19th, the '9% Nickel (Ni) thick plate' is expected to contribute to the localization of materials for LNG-powered container ship fuel tanks. It is an ultra-high-performance steel with excellent impact resistance and welding performance even in cryogenic environments (minus 196°C).

LNG has the advantage of significantly lower pollutant emissions compared to conventional ship diesel, but it comes with technical limitations such as maintaining the inside of storage facilities below minus 165°C.

Hyundai Steel began developing the new steel grade in September 2018, completed the development of 9% nickel steel in March 2020, and obtained all major domestic and international certifications from nine leading classification societies including KR (Korea), ABS (USA), and DNV (Norway/Germany) by December of the same year.

In particular, in February last year, Hyundai Steel signed a contract to supply materials for fuel tanks of LNG-powered ultra-large container ships being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and is currently supplying the products. Until now, materials for fuel tanks have had very strict quality requirements and were entirely dependent on imports. This order is expected to have an import substitution effect by supplying fuel tank materials domestically for the first time by a Korean steel company.

Additionally, the 9% nickel steel for LNG storage tanks passed the quality certification test by Korea Gas Corporation. By obtaining quality certification for 9% nickel steel products with thicknesses ranging from 6 to 45 mm and a maximum width of 4.5 m, Hyundai Steel has secured competitiveness in the domestic and international onshore LNG plant markets.

Hyundai Steel has acquired the qualification as a material supplier for the Korea Gas Corporation Dangjin LNG production base construction project, enabling it to supply steel materials necessary for manufacturing LNG storage tanks. It has also secured the qualification to supply steel for various domestic and international projects designed by Korea Gas Corporation in the future.

A Hyundai Steel official said, "We can accelerate our entry into new onshore LNG plant projects," adding, "Following the supply of LNG storage tank materials for shipbuilding, we will be able to expand our business area to the onshore LNG plant market."

Furthermore, Hyundai Steel plans to realize eco-friendly technology that replaces blast furnace fuel with cattle manure within this year. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, Hyundai Steel plans to input solid cattle manure fuel into blast furnaces by the end of this year. Using 1 ton of solid cattle manure fuel recycles 4 tons of livestock waste, and it is estimated to have environmental benefits such as reducing 1.5 tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, as well as secondary economic effects like substituting imported raw materials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.