Trudeau teases huge project to slash greenhouse gas pollution at Hamilton’s biggest steelmaker
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has teased a looming Hamilton funding announcement designed to slash greenhouse gas emissions from steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco by more than half.
The Liberal prime minister was in Sault Ste. Marie Monday for a campaign-style announcement of $420 million in grants and loans to help Algoma Steel phase out coal-fired steelmaking and cut carbon emissions by three million tonnes annually by 2030.
Near the end of the announcement, Trudeau also said another major investment" is coming very soon" - this time, at Hamilton's ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Another iconic steelmaker will become more competitive and an even stronger partner in reducing emissions," he said.
The prime minister did not share any details in advance about what the Hamilton steelmaker's carbon-cutting project would look like. But combined, he said the projects in Sault Ste. Marie and Hamilton would eventually cut steelmaking emissions by up to six million tonnes a year.
The Spectator has yet to hear back on questions posed to ArcelorMittal Dofasco. But the steelmaker has previously said it is working on short- and long-term decarbonization" plans and it supports the Canadian Steel Producers Association's goal to see the national steel industry achieve carbon neutrality" by 2050.
The Hamilton steelmaker is typically among the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gases in Ontario, emitting about 4.8 million tonnes a year in 2018. The steel industry accounts for five per cent of all Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.
Slashing three million tonnes from ArcelorMittal Dofasco's annual total would have profoundly positive implications" on greenhouse gas emissions in Hamilton - a city that reluctantly boasts the highest carbon footprint in the province, said Environment Hamilton head Lynda Lukasik.
In theory, if the steelmaker's plan involves phasing out or reducing traditional coal-fired steelmaking - and in particular, the creation and use of high-carbon fuel coke - then lung-busting air pollution from the facility should also improve dramatically, she added.
But the devil is always in the details ... I am very interested to see what the proposal involves and how quickly (carbon reductions) will happen, because we are in a climate crisis," said Lukasik.
If this is a massive investment of public money (into a private company), then the public is justified in saying hey, we need to see an impact, and we need to see it happen fast.'"
Algoma's federally funded project has a carbon-cutting deadline of 2030.
That green steel announcement spurred speculation that an election call is imminent.
More to come ...
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com