ABB and Clecim help Tata Steel deploy new pickling line to advance flagship UK steel project
Clecim and ABB will jointly provide automation, electrification and digitalization technologies for Tata Steel's new 1.8 million ton pickling line
Tata Steel's Port Talbot steelworks invested 1.25 billion pounds to upgrade the blast furnace to an electric arc furnace
This new pickling line will become the core of Port Talbot's green steelmaking facilities, ensuring that Tata Steel can provide high-quality low-carbon steel products to downstream companies and users
ABB and Clecim provide automation, electrification and digitalization technologies for Tata Steel's 1.8 million ton pickling line at Port Talbot Steel. Image source: Tata Steel
ABB, together with Clecim, a supplier of steel processing lines and rolling mill equipment, successfully won the opportunity to cooperate with Tata Steel to provide comprehensive automation, electrification and digitalization solutions for its new advanced pickling line at Port Talbot Steel in the UK. With professional technology, ABB will become the key support for the safe, efficient and intelligent operation of this new production line, ensuring that it is put into operation simultaneously with Tata Steel's newly built 3.2 million ton electric arc furnace (EAF).
Tata Steel and the UK government have jointly invested more than £1.25 billion in the Welsh steel mill, including a £500 million grant from the UK government, with a focus on decarbonizing plant operations. ABB will complete the technical deployment and commissioning work as scheduled by the end of 2027, ensuring that the Port Talbot steel mill will be fully operational by 2028. The new production line integrates high-quality machinery and process equipment provided by Clecim, which will mainly treat the oxide scale formed on the surface of hot-rolled coils during the rolling process, ensuring that the surface of the steel coils is clean for further processing, thereby improving product quality and enhancing the adhesion of coatings or paints.
Port Talbot Green Steel Plant will provide high-quality low-carbon steel products to downstream companies and users. Image source: Tata Steel
ABB will be responsible for providing automation technology, deploying Roll@xA digital solutions and the industry-leading ABB Ability™ System 800xA® distributed control system (DCS), equipped with an application knowledge base customized for processing lines. It is worth mentioning that ABB Ability™ System 800xA® can integrate all automation function modules into a unified working environment, which is crucial to achieving seamless business operations.
In addition, ABB will supply a range of digital solutions to optimize the performance of the new production line, including ABB Ability™ Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) and ABB Ability™ Data Analytics Platform for the steel and non-ferrous metals industries, as well as EOW extended operator workstations for enhancing human-machine operation efficiency. These systems can also be fully integrated with the automation system of the Clecim pickling package to create a working environment with a good operating experience.
The system solution is designed to promote the further development of digital elements such as smart manufacturing, asset management and human-machine connectivity, and safeguard Tata Steel's future operational optimization.
ABB's electrification supply scope for this project includes medium-voltage switchgear and transformers, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment, a range of low-voltage drives and multi-transmission frequency converters, energy-saving AC motors and related control center infrastructure.
“Our new pickling line will be the heart of our green steelmaking facility at Port Talbot, ensuring we can deliver the high-quality, low-carbon steel products that society so desperately needs for our downstream businesses and customers,” said Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK. “This partnership marks another key step towards a sustainable future for steel production in South Wales, with the expertise and innovation of a first-class business partner.”
ABB technology will play a key role in enabling safe, efficient and optimized operations at Tata Steel’s new pickling line. Image source: ABB
“We are proud to be part of this project, integrating engineering solutions, procurement systems and electromechanical products made in France to help Port Talbot achieve this critical transformation at this stage,” said Thomas Comte, CEO of Clecim. “This achievement is a testament to the strong partnership we have built with ABB over the past few months. Together, we will deliver the new pickling line in an agile and innovative way.”
Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Head of ABB Process Industries Steel and Nonferrous Metals, said: “Our team has a deep foundation in cooperation with Tata Steel. We firmly believe that through cooperation, we can build a better operating model to optimize the steelmaking process. No organization can solve the common challenges facing the industry alone, so we believe that by working together with Clecim, we will significantly accelerate the process of customer value creation and industry technology innovation. We look forward to jointly promoting the progress of this project efficiently.”