Vale to supply briquettes for GravitHy DRI plant

Brazil’s Vale and prospective hot-briquetted iron maker GravitHy will jointly develop solutions focused on carbon-neutral steelmaking using the miner’s iron ore briquettes technology, Kallanish notes.

This would involve the use of the briquettes, produced using Vale iron ore, at GravitHy’s planned plant in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, according to the memorandum of understanding signed between the firms.

GravitHy aims to start site preparation for construction in 2024 and commission in 2027. Chief executive José Noldin told Kallanish in March the demand push from the market for zero-emissions steel, coupled with fast-adapting legislation and public incentives make Europe an attractive place for hydrogen-based HBI production.

The 2 million tonnes/year facility will be designed to produce direct reduced iron using hydrogen as reductant fuel, substantially reducing carbon emissions in the steelmaking chain when compared to pig iron production through the integrated BF-BOF route, Vale explains.

“GravitHy is a good example of a changing steel market where new players take on the challenge to utilise hydrogen to produce low-carbon DRI to supply an expected growing EAF production capacity,” Vale product and business development director Rogério Nogueira comments. “We are happy to work with a frontrunner in H2-based DRI production as we believe in the outstanding features of our iron ore briquettes for DRI production.”

Vale says the agreement reinforces its confidence in the direct reduction route and hydrogen usage to enable steelmaking decarbonisation. The miner is committed to reducing 15% of net Scope 3 emissions by 2035, and 33% of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. The company expects to be net zero in 2050.

Last week, Vale successfully tested a new type of iron ore briquette. The product is adapted for the direct reduction route used in steelmaking and can also be used as a charge for blast furnaces (see Kallanish passim).

Todor Kirkov Bulgaria