Electrification and thermal energy storage in the steel forging industry

Case study: The electrification of steel forging furnaces in combination with thermal energy storage (TES) is a cost-effective way to reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and support flexible electricity consumption.

Steel forging is an energy- and emission-intensive process. Large steel workpieces must be heated to around 1,200 °C in natural gas-fired furnaces before being shaped. A new case study by the think tank Future Cleantech Architects (FCA) has examined how the electrification of steel forging furnaces, combined with thermal energy storage (TES), could reduce emissions, improve resilience and support flexible electricity consumption.
Using a large open-die forging plant in Germany as a reference case, the FCA states that the findings are relevant to the entire European steel and metalworking sector and, beyond that, to any industry requiring high-temperature process heat.

Key takeaways:

1. Compared with other decarbonisation options, the electrification of steel furnaces is a strategically safer choice.
2. Today, natural gas remains the more cost-effective fuel, and the economic viability of electrification depends on the further expansion of renewable energy and on prolonged periods of low wholesale electricity prices.
3. Hydrogen, biomethane and CO₂ capture are likely to remain costly or be constrained by realistic supply bottlenecks.
4. Thermal energy storage can reduce operating costs by enabling electricity consumption during periods of low prices.
5. According to the FCA, the quickest route to scaling up is to make electrified high-temperature heat viable for investment through grid reforms, regulatory processes and risk mitigation tools.

Furnace technology has already proven its worth. It now needs to be made viable through affordable clean energy and smarter system integration.
Source: FCA