SSAB to supply fossil-free steel for construction equipment
SSAB says it has entered into an agreement with global construction equipment manufacturer Putzmeister to supply future fossil-free steel for use in manufacturing products such as concrete pump trucks and concrete mixers.
SSAB and Putzmeister have a long history of partnership and technical cooperation, Kallanish understands. By using SSAB’s Strenx high-strength structural steel and Hardox wear plates, Putzmeister has developed very strong and lightweight truck chassis, pump crane booms and concrete mixer drums. The lighter machines increase machine performance but also reduce carbon footprint, SSAB says.
This agreement replaces conventional steel with steel made via Hybrit technology, developed by SSAB with mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall, using green hydrogen and fossil-free electricity.
Christian Koehl Germany
Hybrit green hydrogen-for-steel project completes storage test
Swedish renewable hydrogen-for-steel project Hybrit has completed a hydrogen storage pilot project, with flexible power procurement reducing variable operating costs by up to 31%, the group said Feb. 27.
The Hybrit collaboration between steelmaker SSAB, iron ore miner LKAB and power company Vattenfall said hydrogen production costs could be cut by 25%-40% when the first commercial plants are commissioned.
“The results show that it is technically possible to store fossil-free hydrogen gas for producing fossil-free iron and steel on an industrial scale,” Vattenfall said in a statement.
Hybrit optimized hydrogen storage in real time against both spot and intraday power markets, with cost savings of 26%-31% in the trial.
The pilot storage facility has operated intermittently since 2022 in 3-6-week periods.
“The pilot project has been highly successful and has given us the results we hoped for,” Vattenfall Industrial Partnerships industry decarbonization director Mikael Nordlander said in the statement. “We have shown that it is possible to use this technology to increase the flexibility of the electricity system and that it is a safe design that lasts over time.”
Vattenfall said the group reached 3,800 hours of operation, with 94% availability.
The project involved a 100-cu m steel-lined rock cavern in Svartoberget next to the direct reduction pilot plant for sponge iron production in Lulea, Sweden.
Hybrit said accelerated mechanical tests gave the equivalent results of 50 years’ operation.
The group will extend the pilot storage project to 2026 to carry out additional tests to optimize commercial storage design.
Vattenfall said around 7% of global CO2 emissions come from the steel sector. Hybrit technology could enable SSAB to reduce Sweden’s emissions by 10%, and Finland’s by 7%, it said.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed carbon-accounted hot-rolled coil steel in Northwest Europe at $648/st on Feb. 26, compared with conventional HRC prices CFR Antwerp at Eur550/st ($576/st).
Sweden’s SSAB to supply low carbon steel to Italian crane manufacturer Fassi
Swedish steelmaker SSAB has reached an agreement with Italian crane manufacturer Fassi to supply it with low-carbon steel.
The deal includes steel produced from both iron ore and recycled scrap, SSAB Fossil-free™ steel and SSAB Zero™, which will be used in Fassi’s hydraulic and truck-mounted cranes.
SSAB Zero™ is made using recycled steel and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas; it has been available for commercial deliveries since 2023. SSAB has also developed fossil-free steel made from iron ore using HYBRIT technology, which employs hydrogen and fossil-free energy instead of coal in the steelmaking process.
The two companies did not disclose the amount of steel included in the deal.
“We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Fassi by delivering premium high-strength steel produced with a significantly lower carbon footprint,” said Per Elfgren, head of SSAB Special Steels.
Fassi CEO Giovanni Fassi added: “Innovation is a projection towards the future. And there is no future without sustainability.”
Fassi is one of the world’s largest loader crane manufacturers. The two companies are already in partnership, with Fassi utilizing SSAB’s Strenx steel, which the company claims adds lifting power, reduces weight and extends reach for its heavy-duty cranes.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed Northwest European hot-rolled coil carbon-accounted at Eur680/mt ex-works Ruhr Feb. 25, stable day over day.
SSAB secures environmental permit for Lulea steelworks transformation
Nordic steelmaker SSAB received the necessary permit from the Land and Environmental Court in Umea, northern Sweden’s Vasterbotten County, to build and operate a mini-mill in Lulea, Norrbotten County, to replace the current blast furnace-based steel plant, it said in a Dec. 19 statement.
It said the permit enables a technology shift that would have positive effects on the environment and the climate and allow SSAB to meet the high demand for its steel products.
It further said construction preparations would now continue with detailed engineering and the building permit process. It added that once the new plant with electric arc furnaces, rolling mills, and further processing was running at full capacity, SSAB would decommission Lulea’s current blast furnace-based production system.
“This is a big day for SSAB and for the transformation to fossil-free steel production in Sweden. Now we can proceed with an investment that will result in reduced climate impact of national significance,” SSAB president and CEO Johnny Sjostrom said.
He added that the mill’s transformation would also create a more flexible and cost-effective production with a wider range of premium and special steel products with close to zero emissions and safeguard jobs in Lulea.
SSAB said the investment would result in a better cost position, higher efficiency, shorter lead times, and elimination of CO2 costs. The new mill would run on fossil-free electricity and be supplied with a mix of fossil-free sponge iron produced with its HYBRIT technology and recycled steel scrap.
Unlike traditional steelmaking, which relies on coking coal, SSAB’s HYBRIT process uses hydrogen, produced with renewable electricity, to produce sponge iron, which is then processed into steel. According to SSAB, the process emits water vapor instead of CO2 and largely eliminates CO2 emissions from the steelmaking process.
SSAB said the Lulea mill’s transformation would significantly reduce emissions to air and water, increase resource efficiency, and remove about 2.8 million mt/year of carbon dioxide emissions.
In total, SSAB’s transformation will enable a reduction of 10% in Sweden’s total CO2 emissions, of which 7% comes from Lulea and 3% from the transformation in Oxelosund, according to SSAB.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the daily Northwest Europe HRC carbon-accounted steel price at Eur615/mt ex-works Ruhr on Dec. 18, down 22% since the start of 2024.
Tony Harris appointed new head of SSAB Europe
Tony Harris has been appointed new head of SSAB Europe effective 1 February 2025, Kallanish hears from the Swedish company. He transitions into this role from his current position as head of sales and business development at SSAB Europe.
Harris has a commercial background at both small and medium-sized enterprises and multinational corporations, SSAB notes. His expertise covers not only sales and business development but also operations and general management, the company adds.
Since joining SSAB in 2014, following the merger with Rautaruukki, Harris has served as a key member of SSAB’s European management. Upon assuming his new role, he will also join SSAB’s executive committee. He will succeed Olavi Huhtala, who has announced his retirement.
“Tony has played a crucial role in driving SSAB Europe’s progress, demonstrating a deep understanding of our company’s operations and culture,” says SSAB chief executive Johnny Sjöström.
Christian Koehl Germany
SSAB inks Snop deal, receives funding for transition
SSAB and automotive supplier Snop have entered into a long-term partnership for future deliveries of fossil-free steel, Kallanish learns from the Swedish steelmaker.
The Groupe Financière SNOP Dunois (FSD) is a privately owned major tier-one automotive supplier with established relationships with all European OEMs. It is divided into three divisions – Snop, Smom and Balconi – and employs over 8,200 people in 12 countries at 36 production sites and four technical centres. Groupe FSD supplies body structure stampings, roll-formed parts and assemblies for cars and commercial vehicles, as well as stamping dies and automatic presses.
According to SSAB, the partnership will help Snop to meet its target to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030. The partners did not provide details on tonnages or supply duration.
SSAB also says it will be granted SEK 1.45 billion ($133 million) under the EU’s Just Transition Fund (JFT). The funding will contribute to the transformation to fossil-free steel production at SSAB’s operations in Luleå.
The funding from the EU involves the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, and “is a clear signal about the importance of our transformation”, says SSAB chief executive Johnny Sjöström.
The JFT focuses on industries and regions with high carbon dioxide emissions. In Sweden’s national programme for the JFT, the eligible sectors are the steel, metals and cement industries.
Christian Koehl Germany
Ruukki opens new roof profile production
Ruukki Construction, part of SSAB, has opened the new roof profile production line in Vimpeli, Finland, Kallanish notes.
Recent years have seen Ruukki spend a total of €8 million ($8.4m) on the Vimpeli plant as part of a multi-year investment programme. In Vimpeli, the company has further improved product properties, streamlined material flows, increased production capacity and the degree of automation, upgraded production lines, and improved social and civil defence shelter facilities, SSAB notes.
The almost 100-metre profiling line in Vimpeli will double the production capacity of the plant’s snap lock roofing. It is dedicated to making Ruukki Classic, Ruukki Classic LowCarbon and Ruukki Trendic profiles, and is the largest single machine investment in the project, which was announced in December 2021.
The improvements will result in new, better and more sustainable roofing products, more efficient for installation partners as well as for house builders and renovators, SSAB says.
Christian Koehl Germany
Tibnor delivers SSAB Zero Steel for Norway’s First Electric Supply Ships
A Norwegian shipyard will be the first to use SSAB Zero steel for ship-building, Kallanish learns from the Swedish mill group.
SSAB Zero is SSAB’S proprietary brand made from recycled steel and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas. The Salthammer shipyard in Vestnes has ordered it for two 30-metre electric-powered supply ships.
Norwegian shipping services company AQS Rederi AS has commissioned two Coastern 28eH supply ships from the shipbuilder, which will be used for fish farming tasks. Both vessels feature a newly developed design from Tomra Engineering AS. SSAB subsidiary Tibnor will deliver a total of 300 tonnes of SSAB Zero Salthammer Båtbyggeri in two batches.
The ships will have electric propulsion, powered by 2,000 kWh and 1,600 kWh batteries respectively. The Coastern 28eH is a versatile supply ship with large cranes, efficient deck equipment and a bollard pull of over 25 tonnes.
“It’s great to have Salthammer aboard on our journey toward fossil-free value chains. SSAB Zerois a great material for new generation electric-powered supply ships. We will deliver the steel in 6-15mm thick steel sheets, and the batch for the first ship will leave already in November,” says Svein Johansen, sales director at Tibnor.
Christian Koehl Germany
SSAB signs letter of intent with Norway’s Smith Stål for fossil-free steel deliveries
Swedish steelmaker SSAB and Norwegian stockiest and distributor Smith Stål have signed a letter of intent Sept. 30 for the future deliveries of fossil-free steel, SSAB said in a statement.
The companies did not disclose the volumes of the agreement.
SSAB has developed two types of low-carbon steel — SSAB zero and SSAB fossil-free steel. SSAB zero is based on recycled steel scrap and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas, while SSAB fossil-free steel is produced from iron ore using the HYBRIT technology developed together by SSAB, iron ore producer LKAB and energy company Vattenfall.
The technology, which has been tested on a pilot scale, uses hydrogen produced with fossil-free electricity to produce iron, the primary raw material in steelmaking and is expected to be available commercially from 2026 onward.
“It is a great pleasure for our company that we in the future can deliver SSAB’s fossil-free steel to our customers in Norway,” Eirik Berg, director at Smith Stål, said. “Being top 3 among Norwegian steel distributors, we feel a great demand on us when delivering to industry, building and offshore segment.”
Smith Stal provides a stock of plates, beams, hollow sections, pipes and bars and has also its own service centers to produce value-added steels.
“I am happy to welcome Smith Stal as a fossil-free steel partner, adding another distribution partner to our very important Norwegian market,” Matts Nilsson, SSAB’s head of sales Sweden and Norway, said. “Together we are building a strong value chain for our Norwegian customers.”
The agreement between SSAB and Smith Stal is the fourth one that the steelmaker has signed for its future steel deliveries in only two weeks.
Following the market trend and recent technology innovations, Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, launched Sept. 11 the first ever carbon-accounted rebar and medium sections assessments. It previously launched in May 2023 the world’s first carbon-accounted flat steel assessment for hot-rolled coil.
Platts last assessed Northwest European hot-rolled coil carbon-accounted at Eur625 per metric ton ex-works Ruhr Sept. 27, up Eur5/t on the day.
Platts last assessed Northwest European carbon-accounted rebar at Eur645/t ex-works Northwest Europe Sept. 25, down Eur10/t on the week. Platts assessed European carbon-accounted medium sections at Eur845/t DDP Europe Sept. 25, down Eur10/t on the week.
SSAB Europe head Olavi Huhtala to retire
Olavi Huhtala, Head of SSAB Europe, has announced that he will retire during winter 2025. A recruitment process to find his successor will now begin.
Olavi Huhtala has been head of SSAB Europe and a member of SSAB’s Group Executive Committee since 2014.
He has been employed by the company since 1987, starting at Rautaruukki which combined with SSAB in 2014. He has held several leading positions including as Executive Vice President and head of Ruukki Metals.
“I have had amazing years at SSAB and the benefit of working together with engaged and competent colleagues,” says Olavi Huhtala. “Together we have built a modern company with a better product mix and improved safety. I am proud of having contributed to important events such as the combination of SSAB and Rautaruukki and in recent years the transition toward fossil-free steelmaking. Now it’s time for me to do something else in life and manage my own time.”
“I want to thank Olavi for his contributions to SSAB,” says President and CEO Martin Lindqvist. “As head of one division, he has played a significant role in developing SSAB into the great company it is today with improved profitability and a leading position in the green transition.”
Olavi Huhtala will remain in his role as head of SSAB Europe until the end of January 2025, after which he will remain as an advisor.
