Mitsugu Yamaguchi
President, CEO and Representative Director
Since its foundation in 1905, the KOBELCO Group has provided the technologies, products, and services that contribute to the development of society together with its customers. The KOBELCO Group has seven business segments, namely steel and aluminum, advanced materials, welding, machinery, engineering, construction machinery, and electric power generation. Through our business portfolio that leverages on our Group’s unique comprehensive strengths, as well as our advanced technological capabilities and high-quality products, we are contributing to numerous industries in the global market.
Our track record in Oman includes the delivery of a MIDREX® Direct Reduction Plant (MIDREX® DR plant) to Jindal Shadeed Iron and Steel LLC, and of our iron ore pelletizing technology (KOBELCO Pelletizing System) to Vale Oman Pelletizing Company LLC.
The MIDREX® Process is a technology for reducing iron oxide by using hydrogen-rich reducing gas reformed from natural gas, to produce direct reduced iron (DRI). More than 90 Midrex® DR plants have been delivered worldwide. DRI is used as a raw material in the iron and steelmaking processes, and it can reduce CO2 emissions up to 40% compared to the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace process. MIDREX® DR Plants can be configured to operate on not only natural gas (MIDREX NGTM) but also natural gas with hydrogen addition (MIDREX Flex™) and 100% hydrogen (MIDREX H2™) when sufficient volume of hydrogen is economically available. The MIDREX® Processes can accelerate the decarbonization of the steel industry.
The Oman government sets “the use of renewable energy for green economy”, as a priority concern, in the Oman Vision 2040. The KOBELCO Group will continue to make persistent efforts to be contributory to the realization of the Vision, and eventually to the realization of global carbon neutrality, by expanding the delivery of the MIDREX® Process and plants.
