Warum grüner Stahl — nicht grünes Eisen — Europas industrielle Zukunft bestimmt* - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica discusses the critical role of "green steel" — specifically focusing on green iron production — in shaping Europe's industrial future. It highlights that while the concept of a European premium for green steel has gained traction, based on Europe's ambition to decarbonize its steel sector domestically and maintain industrial competitiveness, the underlying assumptions for a sustainable premium are increasingly challenged. Key issues include declining willingness of buyers to pay higher prices, worsening producer economics, and unfavorable cost dynamics. These factors are interconnected and threaten the viability of Europe's green steel strategy as currently envisioned. A central confusion arises from treating steel production as a single process, when in fact it involves two distinct stages: ironmaking, a volume-driven, energy-intensive raw material process, and steelmaking, which adds metallurgical precision and product differentiation. The economics of iron production dominate costs and emissions, while steel refining drives value creation. Policies that conflate these stages risk misallocating efforts and resources. Producing green iron requires vast amounts