North American steel manufacuters continued to reduce their energy usage per ton of steel in 2003 by 7%, improving thier total reduction since 1990 to 23%. The industry's CO2 emmissions per ton dropped by roughly the same amount during the same period, trade groups said.
The announcement came at a joint annual meeting of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C., this week.
According to John P. Surma, president and CEO of United States Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, and AISI chairman, the industry has an agreement with the Department of Energy to reduce energy intensity per ton by 10% from 2002 to 2012. "The 2003 data show we are making solid headway toward achieving that target," Surma said.
In making the announcement, AISI quoted a report from Pennsylvania State University Professor Timothy Considine that attributes energy reduction in the steel industry to combination of restructuring, technological advances and product and process improvements. Considine's report also notes that more than half of the steel produced in North America is recycled from steel used in castoff consumer and industrial items.
