Recently, China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute and China Metal Society jointly sponsored the “2021 (10th) China Iron and Steel Technology and Economics “High-end Forum” was successfully held online. The theme of this forum is “the new stage, new technology, and new economy of the steel industry under the dual-carbon background”.
Tian Zhiling, executive vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Metals, said in his speech that the current external environment facing my country is becoming more complex and severe. The domestic economic recovery and development is facing some phased, structural and cyclical constraints, and it is more difficult to maintain stable economic operations. For some time to come, my country’s steel industry will still face multiple challenges. In the context of “dual carbon”, in the process of promoting green and low-carbon development in my country’s iron and steel industry, the relationship between development and emission reduction, overall and partial, short-term and medium-term and long-term should be properly handled in a comprehensive and correct manner. The core is still to rely on technological revolution and should be focused on Promote research and demonstration of new smelting and low-carbon metallurgical process technologies, orderly develop electric furnace steel, and promote high-quality and efficient utilization of scrap steel resources.
Gan Yong, chairman of the Chinese Society of Metals and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out in a report entitled “High-end Manufacturing and Low-Carbon Metallurgy Development” that at present, my country has entered a stage of high-quality development, and the manufacturing industry is the main battlefield of the national economy. Information technology is the driving force of the fourth industrial revolution. New materials are an indispensable material foundation for supporting strategic emerging industries and major projects. It is also one of the key strategic emerging industries in my country.
Gan Yong said that my country’s steel industry strongly supports the high-quality development of the national economy and manufacturing industry. In the context of green and low-carbon development, steel, as an industry with high energy consumption and large carbon emissions in my country’s manufacturing industry, requires technological innovation. To drive the acceleration of low-carbon transformation. In the process of implementing the “dual carbon” goal in my country’s steel industry, industrial structure adjustment and process structure adjustment are the two important starting points. Key common technological breakthroughs are important support, and energy saving, interface technology, and intelligent manufacturing are effective means.
Gan Yong said that from the perspective of the low-carbon metallurgical technology route of the steel industry, it mainly includes eight aspects: one is policy support to eliminate outdated production capacity; the second is to strengthen information construction and use digital transformation to empower; the third is to optimize the layout of steel and encourage Short process technology; fourth is the synchronization of energy saving and carbon reduction; fifth is to develop products with full life cycle theory; sixth is to develop and utilize CCUS technology; seventh is to research and promote new technologies of hydrogen energy; eight is to reform the technological innovation system. Among them, hydrogen metallurgy is responsible for changing the high-carbon emission steel industry to zero-carbon emission.
Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Economic Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, pointed out in a report titled “The Structural Potential of China’s Economy, Digital Economy, and Green Development”. The relationship between the means is recommended to be solved by the method of “long planning, hard measures, and soft landing”.
Liu Shijin emphasized that in the next step of my country’s stable economic growth, we should focus more on the structural potential of the medium-speed economic growth period. Structural potential refers to the potential that China has as a latecomer economy in the process of consumption structure, technological structure, industrial structure upgrading, and urbanization. In order to better explore the structural potential that is compatible with the medium-speed economic growth period of our country, it is necessary to build a “1+3+2” structural potential framework, that is, “a leader leads, complements the three shortcomings, and two wings empower “. Among them, the “two wings” refer to the digital economy and green development, and are also my country’s new development momentum. The digital economy should serve and empower the real economy, and should promote the digital transformation of the traditional real economy and increase productivity. Digitization in the consumption and circulation fields is just the prologue. Digitization in the production field is the highlight of the development of the digital economy, and the focus will shift to artificial intelligence.
In terms of green development, my country’s steel industry as a key industry for carbon reduction under the “dual-carbon” goal should be the first to bear the brunt. Proceeding from the national conditions at this stage, adhere to the four-in-one coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening, and growth; second, carbon reduction cannot be “movement”. Green technology should be used instead of traditional technology to reduce carbon emissions, not to reduce production. Capability is not about slowing down the growth rate, nor about artificially disrupting the normal order of supply and demand without green technology and supply; third, carbon reduction indicators should not be misplaced, and more economic and market-based methods should be adopted.
Qu Xiuli, vice chairman and secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Association, comprehensively analyzed the main characteristics of the operation of my country’s steel industry since 2021 in the report “The Operation of the Iron and Steel Industry Since This Year and the Situation and Tasks it Faces”. Qu Xiuli said that my country’s economy is gradually returning to normal, and steel demand is unlikely to increase significantly; global economic growth is slowing down, and the international trade environment will remain complex; the price of raw fuel materials is at a high level, and the pressure on electricity costs continues to increase, making steel prices difficult. After a substantial increase, iron and steel enterprises will continue to implement ultra-low emission transformation and promote carbon peaking work. Capital investment and operating costs will also further increase, and the task of stabilizing economic benefits is arduous.
Qu Xiuli said that entering a new stage of development, my country’s steel industry and enterprises must strengthen confidence, unite and cooperate, and jointly take the road of high-quality development. They should focus on completing four tasks: one is to promote the balance of supply and demand, and to stabilize the market; It is to persist in green and low-carbon development, save energy and reduce consumption; the third is to insist on technological innovation, and increase the added value of products; the fourth is to fully benchmark the potential, reduce costs and increase efficiency.