A summary of the main R&D&I initiatives implemented at the Amurrio Plant in 2021 is provided below, related to new product development for its key strategic sectors.

 In the OCTG (upstream) area, the company continued working on two high-added-value products in 2021:

• The first of these, with the acronym TUBINOX, is focused on the integral production at the Amurrio Plant of the new API 5CRA OCTG grades for applications with high resistance to combined corrosion, both sour (sour service) and sweet (sweet service); for example, the API 5CRA 13-5-2 grade, representing a new milestone for the Amurrio Plant.

• Satisfactory progress was made regarding the development of the new TR125SS grade within the framework of the SOURTUBE project, a new grade that combines high resistance to corrosion in sour environments, a high elastic limit (minimum 125 ksi) and a narrow tolerance range.

In the midstream sector, work was also done to expand the range of special products, starting in 2021 with the specification of new grades for their application in the hydrogen transportation and distribution sector (collaboration on the Elkartek project), as well as to expand the dimensional range of grades intended for cryogenic conditions (nickel alloy steels).

 Finally, in relation to the downstream sector, good progress was made in 2021 on the ACHIEF project, which was approved by the European Commission and aims to develop innovative materials for their application in energy intensive industries (EII) in order to reduce the impact on the generation of greenhouse gases, as well as improve the efficiency and useful life of the equipment used. Specifically, Tubos Reunidos Group is involved in improving the high temperature creep behaviour of the 12% Cr furnace grade, and the supply of alloy piping for the subsequent application of innovative coatings to improve erosion and corrosion resistance.

For the development of these R&D&I projects, we have the support of the Basque Government (Hazitek), the Provincial Council of Álava (Álava Innova), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the European SPIRE08 programme (H2020).