To date, there have been no mines that could be used without emissions. Now Outokumpu wants to make its mine in Kemi the first CO2-neutral mine in the world by 2025. The company uses almost a third of renewable fuels from Neste to achieve its goal. Climate protection is of crucial importance for Finland and the country also plays an important role as a pioneer in Europe. Outokumpu, manufacturer of the world's lowest-emission stainless steel, is accelerating the green transition in the steel industry with its measures.
Outokumpu will become carbon neutral by 2025 as part of the Kemi mine's emissions reduction targets. Towards this goal, Outokumpu will take a significant step forward in October by replacing fossil fuels with renewable solutions from Neste, the world's leading producer of renewable diesel. Using renewable fuels will reduce the Kemi mine's annual greenhouse gas emissions by a total of almost 11.3 million kilograms, which is equivalent to eliminating around 4,000 cars from Finnish traffic per year.
“Outokumpu is the only stainless steel manufacturer to have committed to ambitious climate targets in accordance with the 1.5 degree principle. We want to reduce direct and indirect emissions as well as our supply chain emissions by 42% per ton of stainless steel we produce by 2030 compared to the base year 2016. The carbon neutrality of the Kemi mine is a multi-million dollar investment and, when achieved, will result in a reduction of almost 40 tonnes in Outokumpu's greenhouse gas emissions. The three main factors driving the Kemi mine's carbon neutrality are the elimination of fossil fuels, the use of low-emission electricity and the replacement of natural gas and propane gas with other heating methods. Our first step is to transition to renewable fuels and find ways to reduce emissions across the value chain to bring our overall emissions as close to zero as possible. We are also exploring ways to offset the remaining emissions in our value chain that cannot otherwise be reduced using current technologies. Our goal is to make the Kemi mine the first CO2-neutral mine in the world by 2025,” says Heidi Peltonen, Vice President Sustainability at Outokumpu.
The Kemi mine is the only chrome mine in the European Union and is part of the sustainable supply chain of the Outokumpu steelworks in Tornio. Outokumpu's mine in Kemi and the steelworks in Tornio are also major employers in Finland.
“Our own chrome mine is a competitive advantage. In connection with the development of the Kemi mine and the achievement of our sustainability goals, we recently completed a significant mining project. Between 2017 and 2023, we invested more than 280 million euros in deepening our underground mine from 500 to 1,000 meters. We want to ensure a continuous supply of chromium, an important raw material for stainless steel, for the next decades. The carbon footprint of the ferrochrome produced by our company is 67% lower than the industry average, which in turn means that our stainless steel has the lowest carbon footprint on the market,” said Martti Sassi, President of the Ferrochrome Business Unit at Outokumpu.
Cooperation between mines and the steel industry in Europe
Neste's renewable heating oil and diesel are used to replace fossil fuels in the machines, trains and alternative energy sources at the Kemi mine and the Tornio steelworks, as well as for transport between the mine and the plant. The products are made 100% from waste and residual raw materials. The Kemi Mine and Tornio Steelworks' own fleets, as well as the contractors' fleets, will be fully converted to Neste MY Renewable Diesel™.
“At Neste, we are committed to helping our customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030 with our renewable energy and circular economy solutions. I am pleased that our long-term collaboration with Outokumpu will continue and that we can support the company in achieving its ambitious climate goals. The switch to renewable fuels at the Kemi mine and the Tornio steelworks is Neste's most comprehensive collaboration with the mining and steel industry in Europe. With renewable fuels, Outokumpu can quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations and contractors by an average of 90%* compared to fossil fuels,” explains Joni Pihlström, Vice President, Marketing & Services, B2B Sales at Neste.
