Installing new equipment in operating steel mills is never easy, but it’s becoming increasingly necessary as part of the energy transition to shift to cleaner steel production.

Tenaris's Siderca division in Argentina took on this challenge at its mill in Campana, Buenos Aires province, installing a new electric arc furnace (EAF) equipped with Tenova's proprietary Consteel® technology, a unit with the capacity to produce 950,000 tons of liquid steel to make seamless pipe. The first casting, or pouring of molten steel into a mold, was completed on August 21, 2024, a landmark achievement for the entire Techint Group, installed in record time by its Engineering & Construction company.

Consteel® technology revolutionizes steelmaking by using gases from the fusion process to preheat iron ore and scrap metal to 300°C. An oscillating conveyor belt feeds these materials directly into the EAF for continuous melting, eliminating the need to repeatedly open the furnace hatch for batch loading. This is the game-changer: it radically boosts efficiency compared to the traditional method, where the furnace hatch has to be opened to charge 20-30 tons of raw material per production cycle.

“You don’t have to open the top at any point, which means no emissions of gases, fumes, or particulates during the process," explains Pablo Ferrer, Tenaris's Senior Director of Engineering in the Southern Cone. He highlights that the new system is not only more energy efficient and environmentally sounder, but it’s also much safer than previous systems as the operators are in a control room while robots handle tasks near the furnace.

The Consteel® unit was installed in the Campana facilities, where the team, a hand-picked crew of experts from all of the Group’s companies, had to change out an existing EAF while the rest of the plant was still in operation. As if this weren’t challenging enough, the tight deadlines set for completion left next to no margin for surprises. “We had barely a year and a half to plan everything,” recalls Marcelo Villegas, a senior project manager at Techint Engineering and Construction. “Once they confirmed the dates, we set about planning how we were going to receive the parts from China so we could preassemble them in order in the company’s heliport, then disassemble it all to move it into the mill and into place, using specially designed cranes to lift and install the main parts. All in the shortest time possible!”

Hernan Desimone, Tenaris’s Vice President of Engineering, adds that the "incredibly short lead times" and working with a live steel mill were firsts for him. “We had so many plan Bs ready to swing into action in case plan A didn't work out, as we needed immediate solutions to hand for all eventualities," he remarks.

While Jaime Teira, Techint E&C Steel & Mining Design Director, emphasizes that meticulous preparation was key. He points out that the visits to the manufacturers to understand what would be arriving and when, as well as requesting specific part sizes to avoid unexpected surprises during the final assembly period, were crucial to ensuring the process ran smoothly.

“Tenova and I are so proud of the successful execution of this project at Tenaris Siderca. The EAF Consteel® represents the Best Available Technology (BAT) in meltshop operations today, and its implementation in this ambitious project validates the strategic direction taken by the Techint Group. Achieving a high production rate with maximum charging flexibility—whether using DRI or scrap—allows us to produce high-quality steel with minimal emissions while delivering exceptional performance. This is the win-win solution we strive to offer our customers: true sustainability paired with strong economic outcomes," said Silvio Reali, Tenova Senior Vice President.

The success of the whole enterprise, the first Consteel® to be installed in the Techint Group, is tantamount to a green light for other steel mills moving forward, particularly as a second unit is already earmarked for one of Ternium’s flat steel plants in Mexico. “If we install new furnaces in any of our plants, none of them are going to be traditional ones," says Ferrer: "They’re all going to be Consteel®. There’s no reason to do anything else!"