Sustainable industry leader GFG Alliance has appointed Roland Junck as its new global lead for its CN30 programme, responsible for delivering GFG’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The role, which sits alongside Roland’s existing duties as President, LIBERTY Steel Group Europe & UK, will co-ordinate GFG Alliance’s CN30 strategy and activities globally across R&D, technology, partnerships, commercialisation, supply chain, and public policy.

Sanjeev Gupta, Executive Chairman GFG Alliance said: “GFG Alliance’s CN30 programme is sector leading and will transform our industrial businesses with advanced low carbon technologies. Its success will require strategic long-term thinking, a joined-up global approach and collaboration with stakeholders and partners. Roland’s vast operational experience and passion for our GREENSTEEL and GREENALUMINIUM strategies means he’s perfectly placed for this role as we move from planning to implementation to create a truly sustainable future for our industries and the communities we operate in.”

The key pillar in the CN30 programme is GFG’s GREENSTEEL strategy to transform steel making through increased use of steel recycling in electric arc furnaces (EAF), application of low carbon and renewable energy sources to power industrial processes and use of hydrogen instead of coking coal as a reducing agent for iron ore through Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plants to remove CO2 emissions from steel making.

In the nine months since GFG made its CN30 pledge the group has made significant progress under its GREENSTEEL strategy.

GFG last month announced major GREENSTEEL investments in new DRI and EAF facilities at its Whyalla plant in Australia and its Galati plant in Romania where it signed MoUs with local partners and the Romanian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment to support delivery. These investments will replace aging industrial plant with modern low carbon technologies that can quickly integrate green hydrogen into its processes as it becomes available at scale and economically viable.

Similar transformation plans have been announced at GFG’s primary steel operations in Ostrava, Czech Republic, including the introduction of Europe’s first hybrid furnace that will allow the business to utilise higher volumes of local steel scrap to reduce the reliance on imported natural resources, which will lower CO2 emissions and enable greater flexibility by switching or blending blast furnace and electric arc furnace steel-making. GFG’s recycling facility in the UK has announced plans to double GREENSTEEL production at its Rotherham EAF to produce GREENSTEEL construction products for domestic infrastructure, and is working with leading plant provider Danielli on future low carbon production developments in the UK.

As part of the company’s GREENALUMINIUM strategy, ALVANCE Aluminium’s smelters are fuelled from low-carbon sources – by hydroelectricity in Lochaber, Scotland, and by nuclear power in Dunkirk,
France. This complements aluminium’s properties as a ‘green metal’ for the construction and automotive industries. GFG is actively involved in exploring collaboration opportunities with its
industry partners on breakthrough technologies and in further developing the market conditions for green aluminium.

Despite the COVID-19 crisis, GFG’s SIMEC Energy portfolio of projects in solar energy, wind energy and energy from end-of-life waste continue to make progress towards completion. When complete these projects will provide the renewable and low carbon energy sources to help reduce emissions from GFG’s industrial processes by replacing carbon intensive fuels sources such as coal and gas. SIMEC’s renewable power sources open up the opportunity for green hydrogen production for steel, underlying the strength in GFG’s model of combining industry and energy.

Further information from:

About CN30
GFG’s CN30 programme – https://www.gfgalliance.com/cn30/ – implements low carbon initiatives such as hydrogen steel making, metals recycling, energy efficiency and renewable power across its three core industry brands – LIBERTY Steel, ALVANCE Aluminium and SIMEC Energy – to become carbon neutral by 2030 and create more flexible, competitive operations.

Notes to editors:
GFG Alliance is a collection of global businesses and investments owned by Sanjeev Gupta and his family. The Alliance is structured into three core industrial pillars; LIBERTY Steel Group, ALVANCE Aluminium Group and SIMEC Energy Group, independent of each other yet united through shared values and a purpose to create a sustainable future for industry and society. GFG Alliance employs 35,000 people, across 10 countries and has revenues of USD $20bn. GFG Alliance is a leader in sustainable industry with a mission to become Carbon Neutral by 2030 (CN30).

https://www.gfgalliance.com

News release .pdf

LIBERTY Ostrava a.s.
Barbora Černá Dvořáková
Head of Communicaions
T +420 595 683 390
M +420 606 774 346
barbora.cerna-dvorakova@libertysteelgroup.com