Jun. 02, 2022

Nippon Steel Corporation

Nippon Steel Corporation ("Nippon Steel") is pleased to announce that we have begun offering a 30-year service life warranty program for ZEXEED™, the company's high corrosion resistant coated steel (such warranty program, the "Warranty Program") (*1), in relation to perforation caused by corrosion in products that satisfy certain requirements.

ZEXEED™, released in October 2021, is a coated steel sheet with superior corrosion resistance that far exceeds that of post-plating, which is commonly used in the civil engineering and social infrastructure sectors. It also exceeds that of Nippon Steel's conventional high corrosion resistant coated steel sheets and hot-dip galvanized steel. Tests conducted by Nippon Steel, using flat portions and the same plating amount, confirmed that ZEXEED's corrosion resistance is about twice as high as that of conventional high corrosion resistance steel and about 10 times higher than that of hot-dip galvanized steel.

Nippon Steel is currently receiving many inquiries about ZEXEED™ from customers interested in using it for their international photovoltaic projects. In order to achieve carbon offsetting by 2050, many countries are accelerating their transitions to renewable energies, rapidly increasing the number of photovoltaic projects in particular. However, available areas with suitable mild natural environments for solar panel installation are becoming rare, and as a result such installations are being made increasingly in harsher corrosive environments, such as coastal areas. Due to this, there is a growing need for high corrosion resistant coated steel sheets with a guaranteed service lifespan that is equivalent to the lifespan of solar panels (approx. 25 years) as a material for solar panel mounts to be installed in harsh corrosive environments in photovoltaic projects.

In response to this growing need, Nippon Steel will launch the Warranty Program in June 2022 for products with coating adhesion of 300 g/m2 on both sides, based on the company’s conclusion that it is able to offer such a warranty for ZEXEED™, even if it is used in harsh environments classified as C5 under the corrosivity classification system of ISO 9223 (*2), as long as certain requirements are met. (*3)

Nippon Steel will continuously work to extend service life of infrastructure and promote renewable energies in harsh environments by delivering ZEXEED™ to a wide range of customers.

(*1)  The warranty applies only to perforation caused by corrosion (cases where perforation that penetrates products attributable to their properties and corrosion occurs in normal external environments). The warranty is subject to various other conditions set forth separately. The warranty does not necessarily apply to all ZEXEED™ products. The Warranty Program applies only to ZEXEED™ products specified under warranty agreements executed between Nippon Steel and trading companies designated by Nippon Steel (such ZEXEED™ products, the "Target Products"; such warranty agreements, the "Warranty Agreements"; and such designated trading companies, the "Designated Trading Companies"), and only Target Products that satisfy the requirements stipulated in the Warranty Agreements are subject to the warranty described herein.

(*2)  This is a classification system for corrosive environments that is widely recognized and utilized internationally. Under this system, corrosive environments are classified into six categories ranging from C1 (very low corrosivity) to CX (extreme corrosivity). The Warranty Program will only apply to corrosion perforation that occurs in products that are used in environments classified as C1 to C5 (very high corrosivity) and satisfy other warranty requirements.

(*3)  This press release provides an overview of the warranty service offered by Nippon Steel in relation to ZEXEED™. The specific terms and conditions of the warranty will be stipulated in Warranty Agreements executed between Nippon Steel and Designated Trading Companies. The warranty service will be provided by Nippon Steel to Designated Trading Companies as per the Warranty Agreements. No warranty is provided under this press release.

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