By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

POSCO, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, is working to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but environmental civic groups are skeptical of its plans.

The firm has a steel mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, which is the main contributor to the southern city's vast amount of CO2 emissions.

A POSCO spokesman said the company was promoting the greenhouse gas emission program "Green Steel" to achieve low-carbon green growth.

"We are developing various technologies to reduce CO2 emissions. For instance, we introduced high strength steel to lighten vehicles. Plates of high strength steel are much thinner with the same strength as thicker plates," he said.

The steelmaker has also substituted cement, used for steel manufacturing, with slag ― a by-product ― which has reduced CO2 emissions by 5.9 million tons a year. A joint venture between POSCO and Japan's Nippon Steel completed installation of a Rotary Hearth Furnace (RHF) in a factory in Gwangyang and in Pohang, home to another POSCO plant, Wednesday. The RHF factory recycles dust and sludge, by-products, to manufacture direct reduced iron. The steelmaker expects to produce at least 140,000 tons of reduced iron per year.

Posco plans to use the RHF installed in Pohang to export reduced iron to Nippon Steel.

"The amount of CO2 emissions during steelmaking is directly related to technology. Ultimately, the key point is developing up-to-date steel technology and we are trying to develop that," said Lee Yong-sop of the POSCO's public relations team.

"We have been campaigning for greenhouse gas reduction in the daily lives of our employees such as not smoking, riding bicycles and using mugs instead of disposable cups."

However, the steel giant's efforts have not impressed environmental organizations in Gwangyang.

Heo Hyeong-chae of the Gwangyang branch of the Korea Headquarters of Environmental Movement (KHEM) said both plants were not so active in investing in environment-friendly facilities. "I understand that CO2 is generated during the plant's operation. However, the facilities do not spend much on environment protection," Heo said.

He pointed out that though CO2 is emitted in our daily life, transportation and construction, the main source of the greenhouse gas is part of the industrial world.

"It has been 25 years since the plant was built in Gwangyang. The factory applies carbon capture and storage technology, but it is just not enough," Heo said.

KHEM requested that POSCO make public the information about what they have done to reduce greenhouse gases in Gwangyang. "We are waiting for POSCO to show us what they have done," Heo said.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr