Tata Netherlands shifts eastbound transports to trains
Tata Steel Nederland says it is replacing a significant portion of road and water transport with rail freight, particularly for deliveries to customers in southern Poland and Slovakia.
This means a shift for about 160,000 tonnes/year of steel that used to be shipped by truck and vessel to nearby ports, followed by approximately 600km of road transport. For destinations in eastern Europe, three trains loaded with steel coils will now depart every two weeks.
In the Netherlands and Germany, these trains run on “green” electricity, Kallanish learns. The CO₂ savings result from intensive cooperation with around 50 customers, including major automotive brands as well as clients in engineering, construction and packaging sectors, Tata notes. The new rail route eliminates 3.5 million road km annually and achieves a substantial CO₂ reduction of around 4,300 tonnes/year, it adds.
According to logistics director Martin van der Meer, train transport also saves packaging materials, as the steel no longer requires seaworthy protection. “And it is faster – within 30 hours, the steel reaches the customer,” he concludes.
Christian Koehl Germany
Italy, France, Slovakia seek to further simplify CBAM
Italy, France and Slovakia are urging the European Commission to simplify the Carbon Border Adjustment Measure (CBAM) and resolve the administrative challenges that come with its implementation.
The complex structure of this system could cause delays and increases in management and operational costs for European businesses.
“A simplification of the regulatory framework is needed to provide operators with clearly defined and simplified technical rules. Basing the CBAM on pre-defined emission values for upstream and downstream sectors could significantly simplify reporting requirements,” says the AoB document requested by France, Italy and Slovakia and obtained by Kallanish.
The paper suggests an exemption for small importers and a thorough review of downstream carbon leakage as well as carbon leakage in exports. The CBAM regulation now applies to the six pilot sectors and 20 neighbouring downstream products. However more sectors and downstream products may be at risk of carbon leakage due to the phase-out of free EU ETS allowances.
CBAM should cover downstream sectors and goods at risk of carbon leakage by the end of the transition period. At present, it does not include any measures to avoid carbon leakage from exports.
The EC is to consider the extension of CBAM to indirect emissions under the condition that it does not compromise decarbonisation efforts and to consider the impact of the mechanism on the competitiveness of the EU industry.
“The Commission is required to submit a report by 2028 on the impact of the CBAM, notably on carbon leakage to exports, resource shuffling, and an evaluation of the overall application of the regulation. Such a report should be anticipated to the end of the transition period. It should propose, if necessary, appropriate and proportionate measures to prevent carbon leakages in support of exporting industries, by maintaining, among other measures, targeted free ETS allowances for exportations to ensure a level playing field,” the paper concludes.
Earlier this month the Commission published its Steel and Metals Action Plan confirming it would issue a legislative proposal for CBAM adjustments by year-end.
Natalia Capra France