Lincensees Conference 2024
The ENERGIRON Licensee Conference (ELC) 2024 served as a highly technical forum to advance the exchange of expertise and innovations in ENERGIRON Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) technology, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli. Since the first edition in 2008, this biannual event has provided a platform for experts to share valuable insights, explore new trends, and collaborate on the future of sustainable steelmaking.
Stefano Maggiolino, President and CEO of Tenova HYL, and Marco Lapasin, Vice President of Danieli Centro Metallics, inaugurated the three-day conference, highlighting its role in fostering innovation through networking and collaboration. Special attention was given to five new licensees joining the ENERGIRON network. Expert presentations from organizations like the International Iron Metallics Association (IIMA), Samarco, and ExxonMobil addressed essential industry topics, including iron ore pellet quality, emerging DRI market trends and carbon capture. These sessions underscored how sustainable steelmaking can be achieved through advanced technologies like flexible reducing gas systems and carbon capture solutions.
Technical sessions further deepened the focus, with licensees sharing operational insights and the ENERGIRON team presenting process enhancements designed to boost efficiency and sustainability. Key contributions included discussions on the design and operation of hydrogen-fueled direct reduction plants, and Electrical Process Gas Heater (E-PGH), a new feature of ENERGIRON plants.
Marco Lapasin, Vice President of Danieli Engineering Centro Metallics, stated: “The greatest value of the ENERGIRON Licensees Conference lies in the opportunity for each licensee to meet with others and share their experiences. It is a moment that enriches the community not only through the exchange of knowledge but also by fostering discussions on various practices across the entire steelmaking value chain, extending beyond the process side alone. This dialogue and exchange inspire continuous improvement in plant operations and can lead to incremental innovations in both processes and technologies.”
“It was a pleasure to award Nucor Steel Lousiana a special recognition for its recent achievement of world record DRI production as well as tour their DRI plant with all our ELC attendees on the last day of the conference,” commented Stefano Maggiolino, President and CEO at Tenova HYL. “In fact, just a few weeks before our event, Nucor Steel Louisiana set a world record in DRI production, their ENERGIRON DRI plant hitting a production of 330.3 ton/h of cold DRI and reaching a 7,928 ton/day with an outstanding quality of 95.0% metallization and carbon content of 3.3%.
We look forward to coming together again in 2026 to drive forward the rich exchange of knowledge that defines each edition of the conference.”.