Test operations at Sweden's HYBRIT fossil-free steelmaking plant began yesterday, marking a major milestone in the production of green steel.
Credit: Viveka Österman/Hybrit
The plant was started up by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven along with Isabella Lövin, Minister for Environment and Climate. Also in attendance were Deputy Prime Minister, Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB, Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB and Magnus Hall, President and CEO of Vattenfall.
HYBRIT is a joint venture between LKAB, SSAB and Vattenfall. The first of its kind, it has been hailed as being one of the most ambitious and transformative projects in the battle against climate change with its aim to create a steelmaking value chain that is completely free of fossil-fuels from the mine to the finished steel.
Construction began on the project in June 2018 with support from the Swedish Energy Agency. At the plant, HYBRIT will carry out tests in various stages in the use of hydrogen in directly reducing iron ore. The hydrogen will be produced at the plant through the electrolysing of water with fossil-free electricity.
Using fossil-free hydrogen instead of coal and coke to reduce the oxygen in iron ore means the process will emit ordinary water instead of carbon dioxide.
Between 2020 and 2024, tests will be carried out first using natural gas and then hydrogen to be able to compare results.
HYBRIT's framework also includes a major effort to replace fossil oil with bio oil in LKAB's pellet plant in Malmberget in a test period that will continue until 2021.
Preparations are also under way to build a test hydrogen storage facility on LKAB’s land in Svartöberget in Luleå, near the pilot plant.
The HYBRIT initiative has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10% in Sweden and 7% in Finland, as well as contributing to cutting steel industry emissions in Europe and globally.
Today, the steel industry generates 7% of total global CO2 emissions. With HYBRIT, SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall aim to create a completely fossil-free value chain from the mine to finished steel and to introduce a completely new technology using fossil-free hydrogen instead of coal and coke to reduce the oxygen in iron ore. This means the process will emit ordinary water instead of carbon dioxide.
“Right now we have a historic opportunity to do things that provide jobs here and now – but also hasten the climate transition that everyone realises is necessary. Today, you are laying the foundations that will enable the Swedish steel industry to be entirely fossil- and carbon dioxide- free in 20 years. Together we can rebuild Sweden as the world’s first fossil-free welfare nation,” said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
“I’m incredibly proud that our globally unique pilot plant has now been completed. It is a milestone in the transition to fossil-free steel. We aim to be the first to market, in as early as 2026, with fossil-free steel. HYBRIT technology will enable us to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in steelmaking and at the same time help our own customers to reduce their climate footprint. We have the chance to revolutionize the entire steel industry and show that net-zero emissions is possible. We must seize this chance,” said Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB.
“I am delighted that today we can start up the plant together with the realization that Swedish industry is leading the global transition to sustainable development and lower climate impact. For LKAB, HYBRIT is a step on our journey towards our goal of being a leading carbon-free actor in a fossil-free value chain in 2045. The pilot plant will play a decisive role before we can ramp up the technology for use on an industrial scale. The oxygen in the iron is the great challenge and we need to eliminate it,” said Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB.
“A partnership like this shows how we can take the lead in the transition to innovative, fossil-free products. Vattenfall seeks to enable a fossil-free life within a generation, not just through fossil-free production but also through partnerships like HYBRIT, where we can use electricity as a source of innovation for a fossil-free future. Our fossil-free electricity and its conversion to hydrogen are key components here, not just for the steel but also because the storage of hydrogen can balance an electricity system with more weather-dependent power generation and increased capacity challenges. I am proud that everyone involved has made it possible to start up this plant today and I look forward to seeing fossil-free steel on the market,” said Magnus Hall, President and CEO of Vattenfall.
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