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Erfurt starts the hydrogen revolution: Gigafactory for green steel production!
Salzgitter AG is driving forward low-CO2 steel production with hydrogen. Current developments and projects in the green industry.
Erfurt starts the hydrogen revolution: Gigafactory for green steel production!
What drives steel production in Northern Germany? An exciting chapter is currently being opened by Salzgitter AG, which is taking a significant step towards climate-neutral steel production with its new hydrogen plant. The company plans to significantly reduce its CO₂ emissions using a 100 megawatt hydrogen plant, which is closely linked to progress in the field of green hydrogen. MarketSteel reports that Salzgitter AG, together with Sunfire, has successfully completed the hydrogen project “GrInHy2.0”.
As part of this project, almost 100 tons of green hydrogen have already been used in various steel refining plants. This hydrogen has established itself as the key to climate protection and the decarbonization of industry, and steel production should rely entirely on this environmentally friendly raw material in the future.
Innovative approaches in steel production
The innovative approach at Salzgitter means that the use of electrolysers to produce hydrogen is integrated directly into production. This technology significantly reduces the need for fossil fuels and could enable a 26 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2025. However, to achieve such ambitious goals, the availability and economic viability of green hydrogen are crucial. These challenges were examined in more detail over the course of the project and important insights were gained.
A further look at the steel industry shows that around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany come from industry, with the steel industry accounting for a significant share of this as it still relies heavily on coal. BDEW emphasizes that hydrogen as a reducing agent in the blast furnace process can make a decisive contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. At the same time, competitors such as Thyssenkrupp have also found ways to use innovative technologies such as Carbon2Chem technology to convert metallurgical gases into usable raw materials.
The path to a green future
Salzgitter AG underlines its ambitions through close cooperation with partners such as ANDRITZ, who produce the required electrolyzers. The new Gigafactory in Erfurt, which was recently opened, makes it possible to work on an initial production capacity of around 1 gigawatt, thereby providing a solid basis for the electrolysers required to implement the hydrogen strategy. RegionalHeute points out that the flexible upscaling of production according to customer demand is a decisive advantage.
In summary, it can be said that Salzgitter AG is moving in a promising direction with its commitment to sustainable production processes and the increased use of green hydrogen. The challenges are great, but the planned steps could make the decisive difference in making steel production more climate-friendly and achieving the set environmental goals.