POSCO at odds with environmentalists over coastal development in Pohang

Environmental activists chant during a press conference at Pohang City Hall, Tuesday, in protest of POSCO's plan to build a new plant for hydrogen reduction ironmaking. Korea Times photo by Kim Jeong-hye

By Park Jae-hyuk

POSCO continues to face protests from environmental activists against its plan to build a new plant near its main steel mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for hydrogen reduction ironmaking (HyREX), according to industry officials, Wednesday.

HyREX is a method of using hydrogen to convert fine iron ore into direct reduced iron (DRI), then charging it in an electric smelting furnace (ESF) to produce hot metal.

As the steelmaker plans to reclaim 1.35 million square meters of land from the sea to secure the site for its new plant, environmentalists are threatening legal action if the company fails to come up with measures to protect the marine ecosystem.

“POSCO claims it will achieve carbon neutrality through HyREX, but it lacks measures to prevent the erosion of Songdo Beach and negative effects on priority species,” the activists said during a press conference, Tuesday.

They urged POSCO to hold a public hearing, to check the new plant's impact more scientifically and listen to opinions from Pohang residents and experts.

Their press conference was held a week after POSCO had a meeting with journalists in Pohang to announce the results of its evaluation of the new plant's environmental impact.

At that time, POSCO refuted the claims of the activists, who picketed during the company's July 13 briefing session.

“Even if we reclaim land from the sea to secure the site for the HyREX plant, it will have a limited impact on the coastline and the habitat of seagrass,” a POSCO official told reporters, July 26, emphasizing that HyREX is necessary for the company to meet the global demand for net-zero materials.

POSCO plans to win government approval for its land reclamation by March next year.

“While listening to the opinions of residents and talking with relevant ministries, we aim to finish the new plant's construction as planned,” a POSCO spokesman said. “We believe that the residents and the government will also regard HyREX as an important and necessary step toward decarbonization.”