5MW of Plug Power electrolysers have been delivered to ArcelorMittal’s Bremen facility in Germany, as part of a green hydrogen-based steel production project.
The HyBit project between swb, EWE and ArcelorMittal Bremen plans on producing and using green hydrogen in swb’s power plant and the Bremen-Mittelsbüren steelworks.
Supported by a €10m ($10.9m) grant from the State of Bremen, the €20m ($21.8m) project will use two 2.5MW electrolyser modules from Plug Power.
The project partners say most individual components for the project have been delivered and will now be assembled to form the complete electrolysis plant.
“With the successful delivery of the electrolyser, we are delighted about the next step in the HyBit project,” said Dr. Karsten Schneiker, CEO of SWB.
ArcelorMittal Flachstahl CEO, Dr. Thomas Bünger, said that the firm will be able to start using hydrogen in its processes as soon as commissioning is complete.
“With the planned conversion of the production technology in the coming years, we are resolutely driving the transformation forward together with our partners in order to make climate-neutral steel production possible,” Bünger added.
HyBit is slated as a project that could form a roadmap for a green hydrogen-based industry in Bremen’s industrial port.
For ArcelorMittal, it comes as part of its plans to decarbonise its steel production, which had faced significant scrutiny from the steel advocacy group Steelwatch, which claimed it was “backtracking” on its plans to use green hydrogen to clean up operations.
Read more: ArcelorMittal facing scrutiny over hydrogen subsidy use
ArcelorMittal denied the claims, with a company spokesperson telling H2 View, “At this stage, green hydrogen is not available in Europe. There is no indication that it will be available at the price or capacity we need to provide competitive low-emission steel by 2030.”
They said the company was testing hydrogen DRI so it is “well prepared” to make the switch when green hydrogen becomes a “viable option.”
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