Revolutionizing heavy industry with green steel
The production of green steel gathers traction and a German company will invest €2.5 billion into the hydrogen value chain.
Heavy industry produces goods that are central to our modern way of life, but it is also accountable for nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing emissions in the steel, cement, and chemical industries is vital if we want to combat climate change. The industry faces a significant challenge in achieving its emission reduction goals. Using coal or natural gas to power these plants is not a viable solution for the future. However, transitioning to a different power source is expensive and cannot be accomplished without the support of the government.
Picture: ThyssenKrupp
The first green steel plant was constructed in Sweden with the backing of the Swedish government, Vattenfall, and the steel giant SSAB. Now, France intends to lend support to the world's second-largest steel manufacturer, ArcelorMittal. France has notified the commission of an €850-million measure aimed at assisting ArcelorMittal's project to partially decarbonize its steel production in Dunkirk. In this location, ArcelorMittal operates three blast furnaces that produce liquid hot metal using a combination of iron ore, pellets, coke, coal, and preheated air.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2023/07/20230721-arcelormittal.html#:~:text=21%20July%202023&text=France%20notified%20the%20Commission%20of,coke%2C%20coal%20and%20preheated%20air.
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Germany is also investing in a new hydrogen economy. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country was heavily dependent on imports of Russian gas, which powered the German economy. Last year, Germany stopped buying Russian imports but, of course, had to replace the missing gas, oil, and coal imports. A short-term solution was to import more LNG from the US and Qatar. However, in the long term, Germany wants to become more energy independent. Therefore they are investing a significant amount of money into the hydrogen sector. The latest example is providing a €2 billion support for ThyssenKrupp, the last German steel manufacturer. The project is expected to start operations with green hydrogen in 2026, producing 2.3 million tonnes of hot metal per year. Once completed, the project is anticipated to avoid the release of over 58 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
https://www.h2-view.com/story/thyssenkrupp-sweeps-up-e2bn-of-german-support-for-hydrogen-switch-in-steel-production/
More news is coming from Germany, this time from Bosch. As one of the largest family-owned companies in Germany, Bosch entered the hydrogen market relatively early. Thanks to their strong ties with German car manufacturers, there has always been a demand for hydrogen technologies in the automotive industry. However, with hydrogen becoming increasingly crucial for various industries, Bosch has significantly increased its investment and plans to invest €2.5 billion into hydrogen by 2026. Their ambitious plan aims to cover the entire value chain, including the manufacturing of fuel cells. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/bosch-ups-investment-hydrogen-begins-fuel-cell-power-module-production-2023-07-13/
China's Sinopec announced that the nation's first 10,000-ton green hydrogen demonstration project has successfully produced hydrogen, and the output was piped to local petroleum refining enterprises to replace the existing natural gas fossil energy as a power source. The project has the capacity to produce 20,000 metric tons of hydrogen per year, making it the first 10,000-ton photovoltaic green hydrogen demonstration project in China. It serves as a replicable and promotable demonstration case for the development of the green hydrogen industry and PV-based hydrogen production worldwide.
https://hydrogen-central.com/longi-chinas-first-10000-ton-green-hydrogen-refinery-project-starts-operation/
Picture: Stadtler Rail
Not all states have a well-developed electrified infrastructure for rail transport, and this is also applicable to some parts of Europe. Up until now, diesel-electric trains have been used, but their CO2 emissions are excessively high. Trains powered by hydrogen offer a promising solution to this issue. Already, suppliers like Alstom operate internationally in this sector. Moreover, the Swiss company Stadler has achieved a significant milestone by selling 25 hydrogen trains to Italy. Stadler Rail has secured contracts with Azienda regionale sarda trasporti (Arst) and Ferrovie della Calabria (FdC) for the development, production, delivery, and maintenance of 10 and 15 hydrogen-powered FLIRT H2 trains respectively.
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