Nippon Steel’s Gary Works relining to prolong health and climate harm
Tokyo, Japan, 26 August 2025 – In response to the Nikkei article [1] reporting that Nippon Steel plans to invest USD 3.1 billion (around JPY 460 billion) into relining the largest blast furnace at U. S. Steel’s Gary Works in Indiana, Toko Tomita, Campaigns Director at SteelWatch said:
“Nippon Steel is spending billions of dollars and selling out its future competitiveness, sustainable jobs for workers, and the health of surrounding communities with this blast furnace relining at Gary Works. This is an extremely short-sighted move that will leave the company with outdated production facilities in a world that will be dominated by clean economies well before this plant’s extended life is finished.”
Gary Works is one of the largest polluters in the US, and the blast furnace being relined, BF14, has a capacity of around 2.5 Mtpa. With a 90 percent utilisation rate and 20 year life extension, it would produce more than 100 MtCO2 of cumulative CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the new blast furnace, according to SteelWatch calculations [2].
Community groups in Gary have pleaded with Nippon Steel to commit not to requesting an exemption from new, stricter EPA air pollution rules for iron and steel, to start implementing those rules immediately, and to commit to replacing Gary Works’ antiquated blast furnaces with new and cleaner Direct Reduction ironmaking technology [3]. Relining BF14 makes it clear Nippon Steel has no intention of protecting communities or the climate if either complicates business.
“Nippon Steel wants to be seen as a reputable steelmaker, and claims it is committed to decarbonisation, but every time it approaches a real moment of change, it falls back on coal. Today, the company is at crossroads, while future plans for its USD 11 billion investment are being decided. But, if this relining decision goes ahead, it would be a slap in the face for communities, and a coffin nail for Nippon Steel’s reputation on climate,” said Tomita.
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Contacts
Mikiko Ishii
Campaigns Officer, SteelWatch (Japan)
[email protected]
+81 90-8381-4328
Toko Tomita
Campaigns Director, SteelWatch (South Africa)
[email protected]
Notes
- Nippon Steel to Renovate U.S. Steel’s Largest Blast Furnace in 2026, $3.1 Billion Investment: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGN260IA0W5A820C2000000/
- Based on Global Energy Monitor data and an average carbon intensity of 2.3 tonnes of CO2 / tonne of crude steel, from Worldsteel: https://worldsteel.org/data/world-steel-in-figures-2024/
The climate risk from prolonging coal-based production for another 20 years is alarming, considering Nippon Steel’s enlarged operations across the U.S. and Asia could generate more than a million tonnes of climate pollution per year at current production levels, equivalent to running 26 typical coal power plants. https://steelwatch.org/reports/nscca2025/ - Health, Environmental Groups Demand Accountability Following Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel Merger: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/06/health-environmental-groups-demand-accountability-following-nippon-steel-us
- 70% of blast furnaces globally are up for relining by 2030, and with a lifespan of approximately 20 years, decisions like Nippon Steel’s guarantee decades more severe health impacts for surrounding communities and worsening climate impacts all the way up to the 2050 net zero date the company is supposedly committed to. Air pollution from coal-based steel mills and coke plants directly owned by U.S. Steel is responsible for up to an estimated 200 premature deaths, 55,400 cases of asthma symptoms, and almost 12,000 lost days of work and school every year: https://industriouslabs.org/archive/report-dirty-steel-dangerous-air
- The U. S. Steel acquisition has raised repeated concerns on climate and environmental harms from the US-based groups. https://steelwatch.org/commentary/uss_2025/
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