POSCO Future M Localizes Manufacturing Technology for Core Steel Production 'Electrode Rods'

Development of 300mm High-Quality Electrode Rod Manufacturing Technology
Supply Chain Stabilization Based on Steelmaking Process Byproduct Raw Materials

POSCO Future M announced on the 12th that it has succeeded in domesticating the manufacturing technology of electrode rods, an essential material in the steel production process.

Electrode rods are used in electric furnace steelmaking processes to melt steel scrap into molten steel or in refining processes to remove impurities from molten steel produced in blast furnaces. They convert electricity into thermal energy, and the larger the diameter and higher the electrode density, the greater the production efficiency.

The technology that POSCO Future M has successfully domesticated is the manufacturing technology for high-quality UHP (Ultra High Power) electrode rods with a diameter of 300 mm. Recently, due to strengthened Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management in the global steel market, interest in electric furnace operation methods, which emit less carbon compared to blast furnaces, has increased, leading to a rising global demand for high-density electrode rods.

A 300mm diameter UHP (Ultra High Power) grade electrode rod with manufacturing technology localized by POSCO Future M. Provided by POSCO Future M

The domestic steel industry has been unable to domesticate electrode rod manufacturing technology and has imported more than 30,000 tons of electrode rods annually from China, Japan, India, and other countries, raising continuous concerns about supply chain risks. In 2017, a shortage of Chinese electrode rods caused a crisis of operational shutdowns for small and medium-sized electric furnace steelmakers, and in 2019, when the Japanese government removed South Korea from its "white list" (countries with preferential export screening), concerns about electrode rod shortages also emerged.

Furthermore, this domestic development of electrode rods is also regarded as a representative success case of public-private cooperation. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy promoted a national project called ‘Development of Artificial Graphite Electrode Rod Technology of 300 mm or Larger’ under the Carbon Industry Infrastructure Creation Project in 2020. POSCO Future M was selected as the lead organization and succeeded in domesticating electrode rod manufacturing technology after 4 years and 9 months of research and development.

Jo Yong-ho, head of the Basic Materials Division at POSCO Future M, said, "Industry, academia, and research institutes shared the need for domestication of electrode rods, which have been entirely dependent on imports, and closely cooperated to secure high-quality electrode rod manufacturing technology. We expect this to be a turning point for stabilizing the material supply chain of the domestic steel industry and securing global competitiveness."

Going forward, POSCO Future M plans to review the commercialization of electrode rods according to market conditions. It also intends to strengthen group-level cooperation with POSCO, which started construction of an electric furnace plant at the Gwangyang Steelworks earlier this year, to establish a low-carbon steelmaking process.

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