What does replacing an old SCR induction furnace save in kWh per tonne?

Question

Accepted Answer

In a Raipur steel unit TERI reported in June 2026, a 12 t furnace measured at 842 kWh per tonne of liquid metal was replaced by a new one measuring 792. That 50 kWh a tonne came to about 14.4 lakh kWh and Rs 86 lakh a year, for Rs 180 lakh: a 2.1 year payback. Two SCR controlled induction furnaces of 12 t a heat; one audited at 842 kWh per tonne of liquid metal. TERI's recommended level for that furnace: 750 kWh per tonne. New furnace of the same rating, still SCR type: 792 kWh per tonne after installation. Saving: about 14.4 lakh kWh a year, Rs 86 lakh; cost Rs 180 lakh. The second furnace is being replaced too. 14.4 lakh kWh over a 50 kWh per tonne gain means the furnace melts about 28,800 t a year. Power cost about Rs 6 a kWh. And the new furnace is still 42 kWh above the 750 benchmark, so charge practice, superheat and lid use are worth checking next. A new furnace sets a better ceiling; operating discipline decides where you land under it. Fit or read a dedicated kWh meter on the furnace panel, not just the main bill. For a month, record kWh and tonnes tapped for every heat, with charge mix (scrap or sponge iron). Repeat after commissioning at a similar charge mix. Compare kWh per tonne of liquid metal, which is the figure a lender or energy auditor will ask for. For iron and steel goods, CBAM leaves electricity out of the embedded emissions, so this saving does not lower a billet's CBAM figure. It does lower your Scope 2 and the footprint buyers in India and abroad ask for, and it is the kind of measured efficiency gain lenders look at for energy efficiency loans.

What does replacing an old SCR induction furnace save in kWh per tonne?

The case in numbers

What the numbers imply

Your own before and after

CBAM and your footprint

The Raipur furnace, CO2 a year (estimate)

What Senseible does here