3 min read - 15 May, 2026
Materials Processing Institute installs new electric arc furnace
The Materials Processing Institute (MPI) has installed a new 7-tonne electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Green Steel Centre in Teesside, strengthening the organisation’s capability to develop and demonstrate next-generation, low-carbon steelmaking technologies and specialist steel grades. The facility is the only pilot-scale research EAF of its kind in the UK.
As global steelmakers accelerate the transition to electric steelmaking as a pathway to lower emissions, access to pilot-scale EAF research facilities is becoming increasingly important to help de-risk new processes and technologies before they are deployed for use in full-scale steel plants.
The new EAF expands MPI’s capability to carry out industrial trials in electric steelmaking. It will enable steel producers, technology developers and research partners to test and validate new EAF operating practices, scrap utilisation strategies, and emerging technologies under controlled conditions that closely replicate modern industrial steelmaking environments. It also provides a route to produce specialist steel alloys.
A new 7-tonne electric arc furnace has been installed at the Materials Processing Institute in Teesside / Picture: MPI
Mark Allan, Green Steel Centre Lead at the Materials Processing Institute, said: “Electric arc furnace steelmaking plays a crucial role in the transition to lower-carbon steel production. This new furnace incorporates the latest production technologies and machine learning integration. We can work directly with steel producers and the wider supply chain to trial new operating strategies, optimise recycled contents use and accelerate the deployment of all sorts of green and sustainable steelmaking technologies.”
The new EAF has been supplied and installed by INTECO. Manfred Pieber, head of project management at INTECO, said: “Our furnace will enable MPI to enter a new era of research and development by providing a highly flexible, precisely controlled furnace for advanced liquid steel experimentation.
“Its ability to reproduce industrially relevant conditions will allow MPI’s researchers to explore new materials, processes, and fundamental phenomena faster and more reliably. This capability strengthens the bridge between fundamental science and applied innovation, positioning MPI at the forefront of next‑generation materials and process research.”
Mark Allan and Alan Scholes in front of the new EAF in the Materials Processing Institute’s Green Steel Centre / Picture: MPI
This project was supported with £2.9m grant funding from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Foundation Industry Sustainability Consortium (FISC) EconoMISER programme. The programme provides access to advanced facilities and specialist expertise to help manufacturers integrate sustainable technologies into their processes.
Now fully operational, the EAF is supporting collaborative research and development with steel producers, technology suppliers, research organisations and academic partners across the UK and internationally.
