The Human Powered Steel Factory

Can we make steel using only human power? And how much steel do we really need?

Image: The TATA Steel factory in the Netherlands. Photo by Melle Smets.

The Human Power Plant has started developing a fifth scenario for a future society on human power. After the student house, the dredging industry, the poorest neighborhood in the Netherlands, and the farm, we are now working on a scenario for steel production on human power. We are doing this in Beverijk, the location of the largest steel plant in the Netherlands: TATA Steel.

Steel production is the backbone of industrial society. Buildings, appliances, vehicles, ships, bridges, tunnels, pipelines, drilling rigs, coal plants, factory machinery, railroads, electricity pylons - everything that defines modern society cannot exist without steel. That includes technology labeled as sustainable, such as wind turbines, heat pumps, and electric cars. Even non-steel products (such as wood and plastics) depend on steel in machine tools and factories.

On the other hand, the steel industry is one of the biggest industrial polluters in the world. Global steel production accounts for some 10% of total energy consumption, and TATA Steel is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the Netherlands. The Tata Steel plant in Beverwijk is controversial. Proponents of the factory point to its importance for employment, among other things, while opponents highlight its adverse health effects.

Breaking the polarization

With a steel plant on human power, we want to break the polarization and redefine the discussion. Can a steel plant on human power reconcile the interests of both proponents and opponents? Making steel from scrap requires about 20 times less energy than making steel from iron ore and coal, so reducing the demand for steel could lead to dramatic reductions in energy consumption and pollution. Of course, a steel mill on human power also provides many jobs.

The latest electric steel furnaces consume very little energy: producing 1 kg of steel takes only 300 watt-hours, energy that an average person can provide in three hours using a bike generator. The energy consumption of global steel production is so high because we produce more steel every year. For example, global steel production doubled between 2000 and 2020. That enormous growth is causing a shortage of scrap metal - an essential raw material for the most economical steel furnaces.

Consequently, a steel plant on human power questions the unbridled growth of steel production. Starting from available human power, we are forced to consider how much steel we actually need.

In the coming weeks and months, we will publish regular updates on the project.