THE DRI ROUTE
High-grade iron ore, over 68% pure, becomes sponge iron with 90 to 93% metallisation in the rotary kilns.
Green steel · 25 years of milestones
THE GREENROUTE.
Twenty-five years of firsts on one road, from the first rebar to a second DRI plant — with up to 70% less carbon emission in primary steelmaking, and works that keep turning into a forest.
10,000+trees planted at the Lugazi and Iganga works
The journey
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS, ONE ROAD.
Scroll to drive the Green Route from 2000 to today. A steel milestone stands at every first, and the forest grows a little more with each one.
- 2000The beginning
TEMBO STEELS IS BORN
Tembo Steels (U) Ltd is incorporated by its founding directors, Mr. Sanjay Awasthi and Mrs. Seenu Awasthi. Operations commence in 2001.
- 2002Liquid steel
REBARS FROM LIQUID STEEL
Tembo starts making reinforcement bars from its own liquid steel.
- 2004First in Uganda
LIGHT SECTIONS
The first company in Uganda to make light sections through a structural mill, straight from liquid steel.
- 2005First in the world
THE MINI CONVERTER
The world’s first converter that turns cast iron into liquid low-carbon steel. Tembo becomes the first company in Africa to use cast iron as a raw material for steel.
- 2006First in East Africa
A HOT STRIP MILL
East Africa’s first hot-rolled strip mill is commissioned.
- 2008First in Uganda
TMT BARS
The first company in Uganda to launch thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) bars.
- 2012Green steelmaking
CASTER TO MILL, NO REHEATING
Continuous rolling with direct casting: the billet goes from the caster straight into the rolling mill, with no reheating furnace and none of its carbon emission.
- 2014First in East Africa
A 10-STAND BLOCK MILL
East Africa’s first 10-stand block mill starts rolling 5.5 mm wire rod.
- 2015First in East Africa
WIRE, END TO END
The whole value chain of wire products from liquid steel: 100% value addition and no imported wire rod.
- 2016Only one in the world
0.8 MM HOT-ROLLED STRIP
The first and only strip mill in the world making 0.8 mm hot-rolled strip in a continuous configuration.
- 2017First in Africa
HOLLOW SECTIONS
The first company in Africa to complete the whole value chain of hollow sections from liquid steel.
- 2018First on the continent
AN 18-STAND SECTION MILL
A fully continuous 18-stand horizontal-vertical mill rolls light sections by direct rolling.
- 2020Ore to finished steel
TUNGSTEN CARBIDE ROLLING AND DRI
A fully continuous TMT mill with tungsten carbide rolling, a first in the region, and East Africa’s largest DRI plant: iron ore to finished steel in one integrated process — the President’s dream project.
- 2021First in Africa
THE BULLET CASTOR
Africa’s first and only bullet castor is commissioned and running.
- 2023Green steelmaking
TMX, THE CARBON-NEUTRAL WAY
Tembo TMX rebars are made through the carbon-neutral process.
- 2025The second works
A SECOND DRI PLANT, IGANGA
The second DRI plant, at Iganga, is commissioned by H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda on 25 January 2025.
- 2026Twenty-five years
25 YEARS AND A FOREST
A quarter of a century of Tembo Steels — and more than 10,000 trees planted in and around the two works.
How the steel is made green
ELEVEN PILLARS OF GREEN STEEL
Tembo’s green steel rests on eleven pillars. Together they cut carbon emission in primary steelmaking by up to 70% and make the plant an intelligent steel works.
ELECTRIC INDUCTION FURNACES
Virgin DRI and high-quality scrap are melted together by electricity: circular, and pure enough for high-quality steel.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The works run on 100% renewable hydropower, with electricity from the Bujagali dam.
A COMPACT LAYOUT
23 steel processing units on one site of about 1.2 million m², laid out so liquid steel becomes finished product with no detours.
DIRECT CASTING AND ROLLING
95% of Tembo TMT is hot-rolled straight from the caster. No reheating furnace, so no fossil fuel in that step.
LEVEL-TWO AUTOMATION
Level-two automation across melting and rolling: tighter control, better use of raw material, less carbon.
HIGHER PROCESS YIELD
Better yield at every step means less raw material, energy and time for every tonne of finished steel.
HIGH-STRENGTH STEEL
Stronger steel means less steel: 12 to 15% less material in a structure, saving resources and energy.
THE FIRST MINI CONVERTER
Cast iron that used to be dumped across Africa is turned into liquid low-carbon steel: a circular economy for the continent.
BIOMASS FOR SCRAP PREHEATING
Biomass, not fossil fuel, preheats the scrap and saves energy in that step.
PLANTATION
More than 10,000 trees planted in and around the works, turning them into a forest-like setting that also takes in carbon.
Up to 70% less carbon emission in primary steelmaking, from all eleven pillars together.
Clear the air
DRAG THE SMOKE AWAY.
About 70% of the world’s steel still comes through the blast furnace, the most carbon-heavy route there is. Slide from the blast furnace route to Tembo’s green route and watch the air.
0%less carbon emission
Blast furnace route
Tembo green route
Blast furnace route (BF/BOF)2.2–2.4 t
CO₂ per tonne of steel. About 70% of world steel.DRI and electric furnace0.9–1.1 t
CO₂ per tonne of steel. About 7% of world steel.Scrap and electric furnace0.6–0.7 t
CO₂ per tonne of steel. About 23% of world steel, limited by how much good scrap there is.Tembo’s green routeup to −70%
DRI and electric furnaces on hydropower, direct rolling with no reheating, biomass preheating and a forest around the works.Global figures from Tembo’s Green Steel book (2024 edition).
In numbers
GREEN, ON THE RECORD
10,000+trees planted at the two works
70%less carbon emission in primary steelmaking, at most
100%renewable hydropower
80%of the works’ space kept green
Build green
BUILD GREEN WITH TEMBO.
Tembo TMX is rolled straight from the caster, on hydropower, at works planted with more than 10,000 trees. Tell us the project and we will spec the steel, the sizes and the delivery.
