Steel is essential for decarbonizing our energy system. We use it to build solar panels, wind turbines, and transmission towers. At the same time, the global iron and steel industry is currently responsible for 11% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 7–9% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to energy projects, we use steel for buildings, bridges, medical devices, and other important applications. As economies develop and build up infrastructure, global demand for steel will continue increasing.

While there is no single “silver bullet” solution for decarbonizing the steel industry, many of the steps that must be taken at iron and steel plants to reduce sector emissions are clear, such as rapidly transitioning from dirtier Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) steelmaking to cleaner Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking. This report serves to provide an assessment of the global iron and steel plant fleet, including capacity that is operating and capacity under development, based on the March 2022 update of the Global Steel Plant Tracker.