The HYBRIT-initiative is granted support from the European Union, as one of seven large-scale innovative projects under the Innovation Fund. The European Union is in total investing over €1.1 billion into the seven projects.
The EU Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programs for demonstrating innovative technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the fact that it was the only iron and steel project to receive funding in the first round of the Innovation Fund’s large-scale project call, HYBRIT will likely attract the attention of other interested parties.
The “HYBRIT demonstration project” will replace coal-based blast furnaces with direct hydrogen-based reduction technology. HYBRIT will thus demonstrate a complete industrial value chain for hydrogen-based iron and steelmaking. The project is expected to produce 1.2 million tons of crude steel per year, which is equal to 25% of Sweden’s total production. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.3 Mt CO2 over the first 10 years of operation. It is planned that a 500 megawatt fossil-free electrolysis facility in Gällivare will be built for the first time ever for hydrogen-based direct reduction. Furthermore, two blast furnaces are replaced by an electric furnace in Oxelösund. Hydrogen-reduced iron can be melted down into crude steel using the technologies demonstrated at HYBRIT, which will demonstrate their viability. The project will thus lead the way to a full energy transition of the ore-based steel production as access to renewable energy increases.
SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall are making a unique joint effort to change the Swedish iron and steel industry fundamentally. Under the name HYBRIT, we are working together towards a fossil free future.
