After a comprehensive feasibility study, AFV Beltrame Group, one of the largest producers of steel bars and special steels in Europe, will invest €300 million to build an eco-friendly rebar and wire rod factory in Romania that will include greenfield steel and rolling mill and a 100mw PV park. This will be the first steel mill greenfield project in Europe in decades and will create a new benchmark for the steel industry in reducing pollutant emissions. Currently, the company is considering several locations for the development of the production unit.
The eco-friendly factory will be the lowest emissions steel plant in the world, both in terms of greenhouse gases and suspended dust particles. Also, water consumption will be minimal (by treatment and recirculation), ensuring the highest level of the circular economy. The new and innovative technology, developed in the last two years, can place Romania at the forefront of innovation in the steel industry.
The plant will have a production capacity of approximately 600,000 tons/year. The investment of Beltrame Group will generate approximately 250 new direct jobs locally, but also to almost 1,000 indirect jobs, of which at least 800 in the construction phase and about 150 in the production phase.
“The challenge of the steel industry is to align with the environmental objectives set by the EU Green Deal, although the zero-emission or ‘green steel’ target is impossible to be achieved with existing technology. Today, greenwashing is very common with the simple result of inflating the word “green” and or zero-emission. The project developed by Beltrame Group will establish unprecedented progress in the steel industry due to the design and innovative technologies, which make it possible to minimize pollutant emissions generated in the production activity. It is a project in which I invested a lot of work, time and dedication, and through this investment, the group shows its commitment to achieving environmental goals and harnessing local resources,” said Carlo Beltrame, Country Manager AFV Beltrame in France and Romania, Group Business Development.
In the construction sector, the internal use of rebar and wire rod amounts to about 1.4 – 1.5 million tons per year. This is expected to increase over the next 10 years at least, mainly due to government investments in public infrastructure, but also due to private investments. At the moment, Romania imports almost entirely the necessary amount of rebar.
The internal production of rebar and wire rod could become a pillar for the Romanian economy because it avoids scraping and importing finished products. This has the potential to improve the Romanian trade balance and will also contribute to a substantial reduction of scope 3 emission, generated indirectly by logistics activities, such as the transportation of raw materials and products, waste disposal etc.
In Romania, Beltrame Group owns the steel plant Donalam, which specialized in the production of hot-rolled steel bars and special steels, with uses in various industries, from oil and gas, automotive, large mechanical and hydraulic equipment, to agricultural machinery and equipment. The company has over 270 employees and annually exports around 180,000 tons of products to the European market. For this year, Donalam estimates a turnover of over €130 million, with a more than double increase compared to last year.
