The HYBRIT initiative is now presenting the results of six years of research in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency. The report shows that direct reduced iron produced using the HYBRIT process has advantageous properties compared to iron produced using fossil fuels.
The HYBRIT initiative is a collaboration between steel group SSAB, mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall, launched in 2016 to fundamentally transform the iron and steel industry. The investment aims to fundamentally eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in the steel industry by replacing coal and coke in iron production with fossil-free hydrogen and electricity. The transition to HYBRIT technology is expected to reduce Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions by over 10 percent.
The project is the first in the world to demonstrate that the fossil-free value chain – from ore to steel – works on a semi-industrial scale. The research results now reported extend from 2018 to 2024. HYBRIT has received several patents and the project is now moving into the next phase in which the process will be implemented on an industrial scale.
“It is very gratifying to see the positive results of our targeted cooperation. Partnership is a recipe for success. The next step is to scale up to an industrial scale, where fossil-free electricity and hydrogen enable the transition to a future in which everyone can transport, produce and live fossil-free,” says Andreas Regnell,
Head of Strategic Development at Vattenfall and Board Member of Hybrit Development AB.
“The focus of HYBRIT’s technical development was on building competencies and creating technical prerequisites for implementing a fossil-free process in large-scale production. We are very pleased that as a team we were able to deliver successful results that met or exceeded the set project goals. We will now focus the knowledge and experience we have gained during the project on further technology development, primarily to support the industrialization of the owner companies,” says Ulf Spolander, General Manager of Hybrit Development AB.
Hybrit Development AB will continue to conduct research and development to support the industrialization of the technology together with the owner companies. This includes providing solutions for LKAB’s planned demonstration plant in Gällivare. The pilot project for fossil-free hydrogen storage at Svartöberget in Luleå, Sweden, will run until 2026.
The HYBRIT project is funded by the EU Innovation Fund and Industriklivet. It is also part of the European IPCEI project Hy2Use (Hydrogen), which involves a total of 35 projects from 12 countries, with the aim of supporting rapid change and increasing the competitiveness of the European industrial sector.
“The path to net zero emissions in industry requires investment in innovative and technology-changing solutions. This is where The Industrial Leap plays an important role. The aim is for knowledge from the various initiatives to spread and accelerate the industry’s transformation,” says Klara Helstad, Head of Sustainable Industry at the Swedish Energy Agency.
Read more about the HYBRIT results in a longer version of the press release.
For further information please contact:
Anna Molin, Spokesperson, SSAB, +46 76 110 46 76, [email protected]
Anders Lindberg, Group Media Relations Manager, +46 72 717 83 55, [email protected]
Magnus Kryssare, Press Officer Vattenfall, +46 76 769 56 07, [email protected]
