A future-focused symposium unfolded in a vibrant atmosphere. At the “Symposium on Green and Low-Carbon Development of High-End Core Materials and Equipment,” Feng Chao, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and Director of its Science, Technology & Environmental Protection Department, pinpointed the industry’s core concern: “In the past, people looked at steel production volumes; today, they look at material performance and carbon footprints.” As the 15th Five-Year Plan period becomes a critical window for achieving carbon peak goals, China’s steel industry has undeniably entered a new phase of development focused on volume reduction, quality improvement, and green, low-carbon transformation. Co-hosted by the CISA’s Science, Technology & Environmental Protection Department and the Core Application Branch of the China Electrical Equipment Industrial Association (CEEIA), and organized by Yichang Kelisheng Group [Hubei Red Flower High-Temperature Materials Co., Ltd.], the symposium brought together leading experts from steel, electrical equipment, and automotive industry associations, along with nearly 180 representatives from 87 related companies across the industrial chain, to discuss how to answer the crucial question of green and low-carbon development as part of high-quality growth.
I. The Question of the Era: From “Option” to “Imperative” – Green and Low-Carbon Becomes the Core of Industry Survival and Development
“Electrical steel is an indispensable soft magnetic alloy for the power and electronics industries. Its performance directly affects power transmission efficiency and equipment energy consumption, making it a key foundational material for achieving a green and low-carbon transition,” said Chen Zhuo, Expert Advisor at the CISA’s Metallurgical Technology Development Center. This statement highlighted the strategic importance of high-end core materials like electrical steel and amorphous alloys. As the “heart” of transformers, motors, and other power equipment, their performance directly determines end-use energy consumption, making them a critical link for downstream industries such as power equipment and new energy vehicles (NEVs) to improve end-use efficiency and meet carbon reduction targets.
The industry made significant progress during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Data shows that total electrical steel production reached 62.176 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 40.25%. Notably, the share of high-grade, high-end products increased substantially, marking a transition from “following” to “leading.” New soft magnetic materials like iron-based amorphous alloys also developed rapidly, with China’s 2025 output accounting for about 65% of the global total. However, despite these achievements, challenges are unprecedented. Feng Chao pointed out that the industry still faces issues such as insufficient high-end capacity alongside intensified low-end competition, formidable tasks in green and low-carbon transition, and the need for stronger industrial chain coordination.
Voices from the downstream application end have raised the urgency of green and low-carbon transformation to an unprecedented level. Pang Tianshu, Deputy Secretary-General of the NEV Professional Committee of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), noted in her report that the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been implemented, and domestic OEMs’ ESG requirements are also forcing transformation across the industrial chain. “Carbon tariffs could instantly erase the cost advantage of China’s NEV exports,” Pang emphasized. “Furthermore, the trend toward higher-speed, higher-voltage motors is forcing material upgrades. Therefore, achieving green and low-carbon development has shifted from an ‘option’ to an ‘imperative’.”
II. Charting the Path: Technological Innovation, a Green Foundation, and Industrial Chain Collaboration – The Three Pillars
Faced with this “imperative,” industry elites offered suggestions and outlined a clear path forward. Feng Chao proposed three core recommendations, forming the basic framework for the industry’s green and low-carbon development.
1. Strengthen Technological Innovation to Drive the Industry Toward Higher Value. Technological innovation is seen as the core driving force. Representatives agreed on the need to increase R&D investment in high-end core materials and equipment. This includes actively exploring novel materials like ultra-thin electrical steel strips, ultra-thin nanocrystalline alloys, and iron-cobalt alloys, while also continuously refining specific processes such as high-grade raw materials, reducing the thickness of high-frequency materials, environmentally friendly coatings, and self-bonding coating technologies to break through key technical bottlenecks and improve product performance and quality. Pang Tianshu added from the application side that developing thinner materials is a key direction, as only thinner silicon steel can meet the demands of higher frequencies and speeds for reduced eddy current losses – closely linked to the development of frontier technologies like flat wire motors and self-bonding cores.
2. Build a Solid Green Foundation to Make Every Product’s Carbon Footprint Transparent. Whether in response to international carbon tariffs or meeting green procurement demands at home and abroad, clear and authoritative carbon footprint data is an “entry ticket” to the market. Zhang Qiuhong, Chief Engineer of CEEIA, noted in his report that the power industry is a major source of carbon emissions, accounting for a significant share. Therefore, applying new energy sources and new technologies, alongside green and low-carbon development, must be primary goals. This means that full life-cycle carbon management, from source to end-user, is crucial. Chen Zhuo suggested using electric furnaces or green electricity and more high-quality scrap steel in the smelting process, and employing advanced processes and equipment to reduce energy consumption during hot and cold rolling. Zhang Qiuhong also pointed out that improving coal combustion efficiency and utilizing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology are key to making thermal power generation green and low-carbon. Feng Chao called on companies across the industrial chain to utilize relevant platforms so that “the green value of every coil of electrical steel and every core is seen and recognized.”
3. Build a Collaborative Ecosystem – Moving from “Going It Alone” to “Joint Problem-Solving.” The green and low-carbon transition cannot be accomplished by any single company; it requires enhanced collaboration across the entire industrial chain. Feng Chao expressed hope that this symposium would serve as a starting point for building a collaborative innovation ecosystem across the “steel-core-motor-user” chain. Pang Tianshu provided a vivid explanation, arguing that collaboration should deepen in three ways: First, shifting from “passive response” to “active intervention” – core manufacturers should get involved early, during the motor magnetic circuit design phase at OEMs, offering material selection and process solutions to enhance value. Second, moving from “going it alone” to “joint problem-solving” – uniting companies across the four links of materials, equipment, processes, and applications to tackle common challenges like self-bonding and processing ultra-thin electrical steel. Third, transitioning from “price competition” to “value competition” – encouraging companies to master core technological thresholds to create differentiated advantages in high-end segments.
III. Voices from Practice: Empowering with Material Innovation for a Shared Green Future
From hydrogen metallurgy, short processes, and carbon capture technologies on the production side, to exploring thin gauge, high-grade, and amorphous alloys on the material side, to motor magnetic circuit co-design, material utilization improvement, and recycling systems on the application side – a clear, full-chain path for green and low-carbon development is taking shape. As Feng Chao urged in his concluding remarks: “Let us join hands and work together. Take this symposium as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, drive technological innovation, optimize product structures, advance green and low-carbon development, enhance industrial chain collaboration, and collectively create an even brighter future for the steel industry!”
Following special technical presentations from units including Shougang Zhixin Qian’an, the Secretariat of the Steel Full-Industry Chain EPD Platform, and Haihong Electric, representatives reached a broad consensus: The high-end, intelligent, green, and low-carbon transformation of the electrical steel industry – and indeed the entire high-end core material industry – is no longer a distant goal but an essential path and inevitable destination for high-quality development today. This symposium was not just a meeting of minds but a call to action, signaling that China’s steel and key materials industries, through collaborative innovation, are firmly marching toward a new era of high-quality development defined by a green foundation and performance benchmarks.
