SSAB will be the first producer of fossil-free steel

SSAB plans to be the first company in the world to bring fossil-free steel products to the market. The plan for the transition to non-fossil steel production based on iron ore was presented to more than 400 customers and key industry players in conjunction with the SSAB Swedish Steel Awards in Stockholm this week. Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB, said: “SSAB will bring the first non-fossil steel products to the market as early as 2026. We are committed to partnering with our clients to achieve common goals so that they can be the first in the world to include fossils. ” Steel in our own products ”.

It was recently announced that the HYBRIT initiative, of which SSAB is one of its owners, will step up its work and that SSAB will be able to supply fossil steel to the market as early as 2026. In line with SSAB's global ambitions, the company expects its U.S. operations, which utilize scrap metal electric arc furnace technology, to be fully powered by renewable energy by 2022 in its Iowa operations. Starting in 2026, it will also be able to offer fossil-free steel products using sponge iron developed under the HYBRIT initiative in Sweden.

The fact that SSAB is already at this stage seeking to involve customers in its plans for the transition to a completely new steel technology is a natural step in the company's desire to accelerate the transition to fossil resources.

In 2016, SSAB together with LKAB and Vattenfall launched the HYBRIT initiative to replace coal and coke, which are used as reducing agents in steelmaking, with a fossil-free hydrocarbon gas. Since then, interest in fossil steel has grown rapidly. SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall, the owners of the HYBRIT initiative, have decided to invest around SEK 1.7 billion, while the Swedish Energy Agency has provided government support totaling SEK 599 million.

In addition, SSAB decided to replace two blast furnaces in Oxelosund with an electric arc furnace as early as 2025. This will eliminate most of SSAB Oxelosund's carbon dioxide emissions. Switching to an electric arc furnace is a necessary step in order to be able to use the sponge iron from the HYBRIT demonstration unit, which will start working at the same time.