A Swedish joint venture that hopes to rewrite the rules of steel production took a major step forward this week.
Hybrit, an initiative run by steelmaker SSAB AB, iron-ore producer LKAB and energy supplier Vattenfall AB, aims to remove fossil fuels from the steelmaking value chain by replacing coking coal with hydrogen and clean energy.
The project is now starting test operations for the production of fossil-free sponge iron — something that SSAB’s CEO Martin Lindqvist sees as a “milestone” given the industry accounts for 7% of carbon dioxide emissions globally and 10% in Sweden, he said.