Lok Sabha Question No. 84 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-02
Subject: Annual Carbon Emissions
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Parvesh Sahib Singh

THE MINISTER OF STEEL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STEEL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.84

FOR ANSWER ON 02/02/2022

## ANNUAL CARBON EMISSIONS

## 84. SHRI PARVESH SAHIB SINGH VERMA:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the annual carbon emissions produced by  the  steel  sector  in  India  in  comparison  to  European  Union  nations  and  North America and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government  has  conducted  any  study to understand the environmental impact of the steel industry emissions in line with the Paris Agreement and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  aims  to  introduce  a  carbon  credits  market  system which allows a company based on past production as well as expected production, a limited carbon emissions capacity and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the details of the technological innovations being developed within the country and also being imported from other countries to improve the efficiency of the steel sector in India?

## ANSWER

(SHRI RAM CHANDRA PRASAD SINGH)

- (a) Yes,  Sir.  The  emission  intensity  of  the  Indian  steel  sector  is  higher  in comparison  with  the  steel  industry  in  EU  and  North  America.  The  reasons  for  the higher emission intensity of Indian steel industry are:-
-  Lower  use  of  prepared  burden  (pellets  &  sinter)  vis-à-vis  the  use  of  100% prepared  burden  in  Blast  Furnaces  in  EU  &  North  America,  due  to  technoeconomic reasons.
-  The use of lower percentage of steel scrap in their Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) vis-à-vis steel industry in EU & North America due to inadequate availability of steel scrap at competitive rates.
- (b) The present CO2 emission intensity of the Indian steel sector is around 2.552.60 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel, which has come down from around 3.1 tonnes  of  CO2  per  tonne  of  crude  steel  in  2005.  Keeping  in  view  of  the  high emissions  from  the  power  and  industrial  sector  of  the  country  as  a  whole  the Government is developing carbon market to reduce emissions and to pursue a low carbon  path  vigorously  to  realise  the  country's  Nationally  determined  contributions (NDC) targets under the Paris Agreement.

(c) Ministry  of  Power,  through  Bureau  of  Energy  Efficiency  (BEE)  has  prepared the draft blueprint on National Carbon Market, to understand the present infrastructure and how carbon markets have been operating. This blueprint document proposes  approaches  for  creating  voluntary  carbon  market  in  India  and  gives suggestions to resolve the market barriers.

(d) The  steel  sector  has  adopted  the  Best  Available  Technologies  available globally, in the modernisation & expansions projects.

The steel sector has also been made an important stakeholder in the National Green Hydrogen Energy Mission to facilitate deployment of green hydrogen in the iron & steel making processes. Under this initiative, it has been proposed to set up two Pilot Plants to explore the feasibility of using green H2 in DRI production.

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