- Commission for electrical assembly of a substation for a planned electric arc furnace
- New process enables transformation to decarbonised steel production
- EQOS Energie plays to its strengths in assembly planning and detail engineering
A responsible task for EQOS Energie in a major project with a focus on decarbonisation: On behalf of Primetals Technologies, a globally leading provider of metallurgical plant solutions, EQOS Energie’s Substations/HV Germany South profit center is responsible for the electrical assembly of the substation to supply an electric arc furnace (EAF) being built for Saarstahl AG at its Völklingen site. This innovative process will enable the future production of CO2-neutral steel using electricity instead of burning coal.
Uwe Trampnau, Managing Director for Energy Technology at EQOS Energie: “With its enormous potential for reducing CO2 emissions, the project makes a massive contribution to the energy transition and thus to protecting the climate. We are proud that EQOS Energie, with its special expertise in the development of complex projects, will contribute to achieving this milestone for sustainable management.”
An electrical socket for the electric arc furnace
The substation installed by EQOS Energie will be used exclusively to supply energy to the EAF. Here, electrodes generate an electric arc whose enormous heat development melts the metal. During this process, tremendous amounts of energy flow, which must be channelled to the electric arc furnace. “The enormous energy requirement cannot be drawn continuously from the grid,” said Markus Klein, Head of the Substations/HV Germany South profit center at EQOS Energie. “Instead, it is pulsed, i.e. switched on and off again for milliseconds. In summary, it can be said that the new substation serves as a high-voltage connection for the arc furnace.”
The EQOS Energy team is responsible for the assembly planning of all energy components and cable routes. A gas-insulated switchgear (110 kV), two medium-voltage systems (35 kV, 10 kV), three 110-/35-kV transformers, one 110-/10-kV transformer, and two electric coils (110 kV and 35 kV) will be installed. In addition, there will be cable stringing and terminations (110 kV, 35 kV, 10 kV).
From design planning to implementation
EQOS Energie will also execute important planning functions in the area of installation engineering for the overall project. For example, EQOS Energie will provide important input regarding the design of the four-storey building to house the substation, which will be constructed by Saarstahl. The special expertise of the EQOS Energie experts in detail engineering contributes significantly to the development of documents ready for realisation. This allows another round of adjustments and optimisations of the service content during the planning phase.
Construction in Völklingen will begin towards the end of the second quarter of 2025, with completion scheduled for summer 2026. By then, the traditional Saarland steel industry, the largest employer in the state, will have progressed one major step on the way to climate neutrality.
Photo: Uwe Braun | SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar