OIES Podcast – Decarbonising China’s Steel Sector

Podcasts - Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

In this latest podcast, Michal Meidan talks to Belinda Schäpe about the challenges and prospects of steel sector decarbonisation in China. They discuss the key takeaways from Belinda’s paper “Decarbonising China’s Steel Sector: Challenges and Opportunities” such as: the challenges to shifting toward greener steel production including overcapacity in the sector, coal dependence, and economic uncertainty. Belinda also discusses the green shoots of progress including the lack of new coal-based steel capacity in 2024 to date. She talks about the opportunities in steel sector decarbonisation including China’s focus on innovation in new technologies such as green hydrogen steel production, new regulatory measures to support green steel in public procurement as well as enhanced recycling efforts. Michal and Belinda also discuss international initiatives like the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism and their impact on China’s steel sector.