Slovakia faces a major challenge in the field of decarbonization in order to meet the ambitious goals of the European Union. The main contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the country is the Košice U.S. Steel Košice steel plant, which produces significantly more emissions than other industrial enterprises in Slovakia. Despite plans to purchase electric arc furnaces, which should significantly reduce emissions, this process has not yet been implemented. In 2023, U.S. Steel Košice produced 7.96 million tons of CO2, which represents approximately one fifth of Slovakia's total emissions. Despite the fact that the steel mill was supposed to reduce its emissions by about 65% by investments to these electric arc furnaces. The current situation indicates that the steel giant in the east of Slovakia will probably lose a significant part of the funds from the Recovery Plan as a result of the ongoing negotiations on the change of the owner of the concern, which is to become the Japanese Nippon Steel. This leads to two fundamental questions for Slovakia: If the Košice steel plant does not decarbonize, who will do it for it? What consequences can Slovakia bear if it fails to contribute to the EU's joint efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050? These questions are critical because Slovakia still has a long way to go to meet its decarbonization goals. More information on the topic of projections can be found in the report on greenhouse gas projections.
