The HYBRIT(Breakthrough Hydrogen Ironmaking Technology) project between Swedish Steel (SSAB), LKAB Mining and Vattenfall has been awarded SEK 3.1 billion ($302 million) by the Swedish Energy Agency for the construction of an industrial-grade low-carbon emission steel demonstration plant. The design capacity is 1.3 million tons/year. LKAB Mining is responsible for planning the plant's construction schedule and related content, and will be the main recipient of the grant.
The HYBRIT project is one of 35 projects that EU countries are currently focusing on as part of the Hy2Use IPCEI Integrated Project (approved by the European Commission in September 2022 as the second major project of common European interest in the region's hydrogen value chain).
The President and CEO of LKAB Mining said that the Swedish government is participating and sharing the initial risk of this critical step in the industrialization of the HYBRIT project.
The head of the Swedish Energy Agency said the funding decision was the biggest financial decision the agency had made so far. The future competitiveness of Swedish industry depends largely on being "completely fossil fuel-free". Therefore, investment in the HYBRIT project is very important, not only for the local climate and environment, but also for the employment of people in the old and new industrial areas of Sweden.
According to the executive vice president and Chief Technology officer of Swedish Steel, Swedish Steel has begun to promote the transformation of steel production methods in the Nordic region, which may reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its operations in Sweden and Finland by 10% and 7%, respectively, by 2030. The HYBRIT project makes Swedish Steel a global leader in low-carbon steel production. Swedish Steel is looking forward to increasing the pilot delivery capacity of low-carbon steel to a commercial level.