The Materials Processing Institute (MPI) has installed a new 7-tonne Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) at its Green Steel Centre in Teesside, strengthening the organisation’s capability to develop and demonstrate next-generation, low-carbon steelmaking technologies and specialist steel grades. The facility is the only pilot-scale research EAF of its kind in the UK.

As steelmakers around the world accelerate the shift towards electric steelmaking as a route to lower emissions, access to pilot-scale EAF research facilities is becoming increasingly important in helping to de-risk emerging processes and technologies before deployment at full industrial scale.

The new EAF significantly expands MPI’s ability to carry out industrial trials in electric steelmaking. It will enable steel producers, technology developers and research partners to test and validate new EAF operating practices, scrap utilisation strategies and emerging technologies under controlled conditions that closely replicate modern industrial environments. The furnace also provides a route for the production of specialist steel alloys.

Mark Allan said: “Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking plays a crucial role in the transition to lower-carbon steel production. This new furnace incorporates the latest production technologies and machine learning integration. We can work directly with steel producers and the wider supply chain to trial new operating strategies, optimise recycled contents use and accelerate the deployment of all sorts of green and sustainable steelmaking technologies.”

The new EAF has been supplied and installed by INTECO. Manfred Pieber said: “Our furnace will enable MPI to enter a new era of research and development by providing a highly flexible, precisely controlled furnace for advanced liquid steel experimentation. Its ability to reproduce industrially relevant conditions will allow MPI’s researchers to explore new materials, processes, and fundamental phenomena faster and more reliably. This capability strengthens the bridge between fundamental science and applied innovation, positioning MPI at the forefront of next-generation materials and process research.”

Alan Scholes said: “This new EAF enhances our ability to scale up research and provides industry and other partners with access to steelmaking testing and development facilities that replicate modern industrial EAF steelmaking environments.”

The project was supported with £2.9 million in grant funding from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Foundation Industry Sustainability Consortium (FISC) EconoMISER programme. The programme provides access to advanced facilities and specialist expertise to help manufacturers integrate sustainable technologies into their processes.

Now fully operational, the EAF is supporting collaborative research and development projects involving steel producers, technology suppliers, research organisations and academic partners across the UK and internationally.