ArcelorMittal plans to implement hydrogen steel project in Hamburg

ArcelorMittal announced that it has commissioned technology supplier Midrex Technologies to design a demonstration plant at its Hamburg plant for hydrogen steel production. The two companies have now signed a framework cooperation agreement to collaborate on several projects ranging from research and development to the introduction of new technologies. FCA will be governed by a number of project development agreements that incorporate the expertise of Midrex and ArcelorMittal.

The first project development agreement is to demonstrate in Hamburg the large-scale production and use of direct reduced iron (DRI), made using 100% hydrogen as a reducing agent.

In the coming years, the demonstration plant will produce about 100,000 tonnes of DRI per year - initially from gray hydrogen produced from natural gas. Conversion to green hydrogen from renewable energy will occur as soon as it is available in sufficient quantities and at economical costs. Energy for hydrogen production can come from wind farms off the coast of northern Germany. The plant will be the world's first commercial-scale direct reduction plant to run on hydrogen.

ArcelorMittal Hamburg already produces DRI steel. In the iron oxide process, the pellets are converted into metallic iron, a raw material for high quality steel, by extracting oxygen using natural gas.