UK: Hanson has delivered its 10,000th load of Regen ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) from its Port Talbotsite in Neath Port Talbot to the building site of the upcoming Hinkley Point C power plant in Somerset. The GGBFS will be used in concrete production there. The latest batch brings the company’s total deliveries to the project to over 230,000t of GGBFS.

Head of nuclear operations Stewart Cameron said “Around 200,000t of CO₂ has been saved in reaching this milestone Regen GGBS load. It is a credit to all those involved as we continue to meet the standards expected of this high-profile project.”

Finland: Betolar has launched Geoprime, an alkali-activated additive for slag and fly ash used in concrete production. The company says that the product will enable concrete production from raw materials with 80% lower CO₂ than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable and cost-effective construction materials. Geoprime enjoys fast global scaling potential thanks to Betolar’s intellectual property licensing business model, which enables the use of existing production facilities, according to the company.

Chief executive offcier Matti Löppönen said “We have seen a massive shift in the concrete manufacturing and construction industries driven by investor pressure for environmental, social and governance data transparency and Net Zero commitments, and now people are keen to hear what we have to offer.”

US: Harsco Environmental has extended its slag management contract with Arkansas Steel Associates. The new agreement extends Harsco Environmental’s previous seven-year relationship for another seven years to around 2028, covering slag and scrap management, slag processing, metal recovery and refractory services. ASA, based at Newport in Arkansas, is a supplier of tie plates to the North American railway industry.

World: World Steel Association data shows that crude steel production grew by 14.4% to 1Bt in the first half of 2021. Production in Africa and South America rebounded the fastest although these areas are amongst the smallest production regions. China produced 563Mt of crude steel in the reporting period, a rise of 11.8%, much more than Africa and South America combined. India, the next biggest manufacturer, produced 57.9Mt, a rise of 31.3%.