Name of the Project
Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology (HYBRIT) project.

Location
The plan is to build the new hydrogen gas storage facility 25 m to 35 m below ground, on LKAB’s land in Svartöberget, close to the pilot plant under construction on SSAB’s site in Luleå, Sweden.

Project Owner/s
The project is a joint venture between steel manufacturer SSAB, mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall.

Project Description
The goal of HYBRIT is to develop fossil-free pellets, which requires a change of heating technology in the refining process.

The project aims to revolutionise steelmaking by replacing coking coal, traditionally required for ore-based steelmaking, with the development of a new hydrogen-based technology that enables efficient fossil-free iron and steel production with 0.0 t of CO2 emissions per tonne of steel.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The total cost for the pilot phase is estimated to be Skr1.4-billion. 

Planned Start/End Date
The aim is to have an industrial process in place by 2035.

Latest Developments
Six years of research on the HYBRIT project has shown that direct reduced iron (DRI) produced using the HYBRIT process has superior characteristics, compared with iron produced using fossil fuels. 

Results from the pilot phase include:

• the development of a new hydrogen-based technology for efficient fossil-free iron and steel production with 0.0 t of CO₂ emissions per tonne of steel; 
• the development of a new fossil-free iron product (sponge iron) that has significantly better properties than iron reduced using fossil gases, such as natural gas; 
• the successful long-term operation of alkaline electrolysers for the production and storage of hydrogen; and 
• the development of an efficient process practice for melting fossil-free sponge iron into crude steel in an electric arc furnace.

The project has applied for and received several patents based on the successful results. The project is continuing to the next phase, during which the process will be implemented on an industrial scale. 

More than 5 000 t of hydrogen-reduced iron have been produced at HYBRIT's pilot plant to date. Customers, such as Volvo Group, Epiroc and Peab, are already using the fossil-free steel in vehicles, heavy machinery, buildings and consumer products, with interest in the technology remaining high.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
HYBRI, email press@hybrit.se.