Western Port Works Continuous Paint Line #2 (CPL2) Oven replacement Project

Western Port Works Continuous Paint Line #2 (CPL2) Oven replacement Project is an energy efficiency project located at the BlueScope Steel facility in Hastings, roughly 58km southeast of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It was registered in November 2021 and operates within an unlisted area size across an existing industrial footprint on the shores of Western Port Bay.

Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction projects involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial or commercial operations by upgrading, replacing, or modifying existing energy-consuming equipment to improve overall fuel and energy efficiency.

The broader Hastings region is characterised by a mix of significant industrial operations, market gardens, vineyards, and livestock grazing. The area experiences a temperate climate with moderate to high rainfall, and the local soils typically consist of sandy loams transitioning into heavier coastal clays.

This project reduces process heat and energy emissions by replacing the facility's 50-year-old continuous paint line ovens with modern, highly efficient equipment. The oven upgrade led to a 78% reduction in natural gas consumption per tonne of painted product. This improvement reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 18,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, while also cutting carbon monoxide emissions by 94%, nitrogen oxides by 60%, and sulphur dioxide by 35%. Additionally, the upgrade facilitated the safe removal of 70 tonnes of asbestos-containing refractory material from the old ovens and contributed to the site achieving the global ResponsibleSteel sustainability certification.