U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Industrial Technologies Program – Steel Industry of the Future

Other Partnerships

Plant-wide assessments typically identify opportunities to save 10-15% on energy use.

Partnerships with the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) are helping U.S. industry use energy and materials more efficiently. While R&D partnerships produce technologies that can dramatically reduce industrial energy intensity in the future, other partnership opportunities can help your plant achieve energy savings right away.

On this page, you can learn about

• Deployment partnerships that involve plant-wide assessments to spot opportunities for savings.
• How to participate with ITP and find opportunities to save energy at your mill.

Several U.S. steel mills have taken advantage of the plant-wide assessments available through ITP's BestPractices program. The results of these assessments are available as case studies to help other facilities. Most of the activities and technologies are readily applicable in similar industrial environments and should result in similar savings.

Energy efficiency improvements as Weirton Steel's plant in Weirton, West Virginia, have saved the company nearly $20 million annually. Based on initial successes, including a 30% efficiency gain in the use of blast furnace gas, the company plans to implement additional improvements that should save a further $540,000 per year in purchased energy costs.

USX Corporation's attention to energy use is saving more than $10 million per year in energy costs at their Mon Valley Works. The company's dedicated plant energy conservation teams ensure that their energy efficiency performance will be sustainable for the long term. Plant energy audits and replication of effective measures in multiple facilities are part of their corporate energy strategy.

Mittal Steel Corporation has looked for opportunities to reduce energy consumption in its plant for years. Stiff global competition has forced Mittal and other domestic steel producers to improve the competitiveness of their operations or face plant closings. Mittal realized that energy efficiency improvements could significantly reduce operating costs. Mittal's work with ITP on several new technology R&D projects will bring further savings to the steel industry.

For more information on plant-wide assessments, or any other IOF BestPractices tools, please visit the IOF Best Practices web site.

Innovative technology is the key to long-term competitiveness in the steel industry, and by working in partnership, steel companies advance innovation. Individually, companies can also achieve near-term successes by improving processes in the normal course of production.

If you would like to know more about partnering with ITP, contact Gideon Varga, ITP Steel Team Leader (email, or 202-586-0082), or get involved by taking advantage of a wide range of resources available through ITP. Learn how ITP facilitates industry partnerships and keeps you up-to-date on the latest technical information, industry-related news, and important solicitation announcements.

Save energy, reduce costs, and improve environmental performance in your plant today by participating in ITP's BestPractices.