Tata Steel Nederland completes windbreaker
1 kilometer long and 18 meters high
Tata Steel Nederland has completed the construction of the windbreaker. Surrounding the raw material fields on the site of Tata Steel Nederland in IJmuiden, there is now a windbreaker approximately 1 kilometer long and 18 meters high. Made of perforated steel, the holes in the windscreen help reduce the impact of the wind on the material, thereby decreasing the dispersal of dust.
Tom Eussen, member of the Board of Management of Tata Steel Nederland and responsible for the operations at the IJmuiden site: "Compliments to all employees and other stakeholders who have made the windbreaker possible. The purpose of the windbreaker is to reduce the nuisance of dust in the vicinity of the factories in IJmuiden. In combination with other measures, it is expected that the deposition of dust in the immediate residential area will significantly decrease. In addition to the windbreaker, we are also working hard on improvements at our raw material logistics to further reduce the dispersal of dust."
From the raw material fields, the smallest particles can be blown up and settle in the surrounding area as dust. The windbreaker is designed to counteract this. It is expected that the windbreaker, together with other Roadmap Plus measures, will result in a 65% reduction in dust deposition.
In consultation with local residents
The windbreaker has been adorned with a painting by the artists of Spatzuiver. The design for this was created in consultation with local residents, the architectural review board, the municipality, and Tata Steel Nederland. The colors were chosen to ensure that the screen blends in with the surroundings as much as possible.
Environmental improvement program Roadmap Plus
The windbreaker is part of a larger environmental improvement program that also includes, for example, extraction hoods and fabric filters in the factories. In December 2023, the largest vacuum cleaner in the Netherlands was put into operation at the Pellet plant, the Blast Furnaces received 6 additional extraction hoods, and the Steel Plant was equipped with a third extraction system that was built through the roof while the plant remained operational.
These measures, like the windbreaker, are part of the Roadmap Plus: a comprehensive environmental improvement program that was established to minimize the nuisance for the surrounding area. Since 2019, Tata Steel Nederland has invested 300 million euros in the Roadmap Plus program.