FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has awarded Hayange-based Saarstahl Rail a €1bn contract to supply rail rolled from steel which sister company Saarstahl Ascoval will produce using an electric arc furnace in Saint-Saulve.
Along with the use of recycled steel this is expected to cut CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared to conventional production with a blast furnace using iron ore and coal.
Over the six years of the contract this will save more than 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, which Saarstahl Rail said is equivalent to the CO2 emitted by the German transport sector in 2½ days.
‘We are extremely pleased that we were able to fully convince SNCF Réseau of our high quality and of the environmental friendliness of our products’, said Dr Nadine Artelt, President of Saarstahl Rail and Saarstahl Ascoval, on January 24.
’The contract guarantees almost 1 000 direct jobs at both company locations, which will significantly strengthen the local labour markets. The partnership with SNCF Réseau also enables us to make new investments in Saint-Saulve and Hayange.’
