Version 1.2.0 (Month X, 2025)

Preview of the upcoming MESSAGEix-Materials release

This upcoming release of MESSAGEix-Materials introduces significant enhancements to the current model. It features improved calibration and updated parameterization, drawing on the latest statistics and findings from recent literature. Most of these updates reflect developments made during the ScenarioMIP project.

Model changes

Iron & steel sector

Revisions & fixes

• Added missing relation entries for maximum steel recycling rates

• Full calibration of the steel sector for 2020 and 2025, including:

  • Historical production and capacity additions for all major steel production technologies

  • Historical steel demand

• Update of techno-economic input data for several technologies to more recent or accurate literature

• Removed water commodity flows due to incompatibility with new MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM-GAINS model structure

Extensions

• Explicit representation of India-specific DRI technology using rotary coal kilns

• gen_cokeoven_co2_cc() function added to generate coke oven CO2 emission factors

• Added functionality to differentiate steel model parameterization along SSP narratives:

  • get_scrap_prep_cost() function added to generate scrap preparation costs

  • gen_max_recycling_rel() function added to generate maximum recycling rates

  • gen_grow_cap_up function() added to generate growth constraints for steel CCS capacity

  • Use of Investment and fixed costs (tools.costs) for iron/steel production technologies

• New steel projections derived from relationship of macro-economic investment to per capita steel demand

• Regionally differentiated scrap availability from steel finishing and manufacturing based on statistics

Non metallic minerals sector

• Clinker input for cement production is now differentiated by region based on literature data.

• 2020 and 2025 demand calibrated based on recent statistics, independent of SSP.

• Previous fuel use calibration was updated based on most recent data.

• Growth constraints for clinker CCS capacity are differentiated by SSP.

• The energy requirement for clinker CCS was adjusted based on recent literature.

Non ferrous metals sector

• Trade representation for alumina has been implemented

• The aluminum has been fixed in 2025 independent of SSP setting

• The 2020 aluminum demand was slightly revised in some regions

• The energy intensity of alumina refining was revised and differentiated by region based on IAI data

• The fuel use for alumina refining in 2020 was calibrated based on IAI data

• The energy intensity of aluminum smelting was revised and differentiated by region based on IAI data

• The historical smelting capacity was calibrated based on an accurate global capacity data set

• The historical smelting and refining activity in 2020 was calibrated based on BGS statistics

• The maximum recyclable aluminum scrap ratio is now differentiated by SSP

• The heat requirement and cost for aluminum scrap preparation is now differentiated by SSP

Power sector

Demand generator

To be merged from ssp-dev

Other

To be merged from ssp-dev

CLI changes

• The –datafile options has been removed from the material-ix commands, as it is no longer needed.

Deprecations

New features

The following xlsx files have been replaced by multiple csv files for each sheet to facilitate version control and readability:

• aluminum_techno_economic.xlsx

• Global_cement_MESSAGE.xlsx

• Global_steel_MESSAGE.xlsx

The files are currently still available for reference, but will be removed in a future release.

Bug Fixes

Compatibility