Vattenfall, SSAB and LKAB prepare HYBRIT for industrial expansion in Sweden
In Sweden, SSAB stated that the HYBRIT initiative now presents the results of six years of research in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency. The report shows that direct reduced iron produced with the HYBRIT process has superior characteristics compared to iron produced with fossil fuels. HYBRIT has applied for and received several patents based on the successful results, and the project is now continuing in the next phase where the process is to be implemented on an industrial scale, said SSAB. “Thanks to the successful results of the pilot project, we are well on our way to fundamentally changing the iron and steel industry. At SSAB, we are now investing heavily to convert the entire Nordic production system to fossil-free steel production and have already started delivering fossil-free steel to customers on a smaller scale,” said Martin Pei, Chief Technology Officer at SSAB and Chairman of the Board of Hybrit Development AB. The HYBRIT initiative is a collaboration between steel company SSAB, mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall. The initiative aims to virtually eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in the steel industry by replacing coal and coke in the production of iron with fossil-free hydrogen and electricity. So far, more than 5,000 tons of hydrogen-reduced iron have been produced at HYBRIT’s pilot plant in Luleå. Customers such as Volvo Group, Epiroc, Peab and many more are already using the fossil-free steel in vehicles, heavy machinery, buildings and consumer products, SSAB added. Hybrit Development AB will continue to conduct research and development to support the industrialization of the technology together with the owner companies, including delivering solutions to LKAB’s planned demonstration plant in Gällivare. The pilot project for storing fossil-free hydrogen in Svartöberget in Luleå will continue until 2026.
Category: Hydrogen
