Salzgitter gains grid capacity for low-carbon steel transition

Salzgitter AG's industrial site has gained additional electricity capacity following the commissioning of a new 380-kV power line by TenneT Germany, supporting the company's transition to low-carbon steelmaking.

The approximately 10-km overhead line connects the Liedingen and Bleckenstedt/Süd substations and is a key infrastructure requirement for Salzgitter's SALCOS decarbonization programme, which involves electrifying steel production processes. The first expansion phase is nearing completion, with new facilities, including an electric arc furnace (EAF), scheduled to come on stream in 2027.

Salzgitter Flachstahl Managing Board Chairwoman Heike Denecke-Arnold said the new line was essential to the success of SALCOS, as the transformation will significantly increase electricity demand. The existing 220-kV grid would not have been sufficient to meet the site's long-term requirements.

Planning for the line began in May 2021, with substation construction starting in September 2023 and overhead line construction in April 2024. The project forms part of the Ostfalen Axis, an approximately 100-km infrastructure corridor extending from Mehrum near Peine to the Lower Saxony-Saxony-Anhalt border.

Salzgitter AG is one of Germany's leading steel firm, producing flat and long steel products, tubes and engineered solutions for the automotive, construction, energy and industrial sectors.