Hydrogen represents 1,000-year milestone for steel: Vattenfall

The ceo of Swedish energy firm Vattenfall says hydrogen will be the biggest gamechanger for steel in the past 1,000 years, Kallanish reports from the Biden administration’s Leaders Summit on Climate. 

Ceo Anna Borg detailed Vattenfall’s HYBRIT hydrogen joint venture, which has so far produced fossil-free steel on a demonstration scale in conjunction with SSAB and will soon feature a fossil-free direct reduced iron plant in Gällivare. 

The Gällivare plant is slated to produce 1.3 million tonnes/year by 2026, with plans to expand to 2.7m t/y by 2030 (see Kallanish passim). 

“This is not our sustainability strategy – it is our business strategy, and it is sustainable,” says Borg. “This is the biggest shift in the steelmaking industry in 1,000 years…this is no longer a vision. It’s happening, and it has the potential to change the world.” 

Dan Hilliard USA