HYBRIT Granted Support from EU Innovation Fund
The HYBRIT-initiative is granted support from the European Union, as one of seven large-scale innovative projects under the Innovation Fund. The European Union is in total investing over €1.1 billion into the seven projects.
The EU Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programs for demonstrating innovative technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. HYBRIT is the only iron and steel project to have received support in the first Innovation Fund call for large-scale project, in very strong competition, which is a recognition that we believe will attract other stakeholders to follow and participate in the project.
The “HYBRIT demonstration project” will replace coal-based blast furnaces with direct hydrogen-based reduction technology. HYBRIT will thus demonstrate a complete industrial value chain for hydrogen-based iron and steelmaking. The project will produce approximately 1.2 Mt crude steel annually, representing 25% of Sweden’s production. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.3 Mt CO2 over the first 10 years of operation. A new facility will be established for first-of-a-kind hydrogen-based direct reduction, with 500 MW fossil-free electrolysis in Gällivare. Furthermore, two blast furnaces are replaced by an electric furnace in Oxelösund. HYBRIT will moreover show the viability of technologies needed to melt hydrogen-reduced iron into crude steel. The project will thus lead the way to a full energy transition of the ore-based steel production as access to renewable energy increases.
SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall are making a unique joint effort to change the Swedish iron and steel industry fundamentally. Under the name HYBRIT, we are working together towards a fossil free future.
For more information on the Innovation Fund for large-scale projects.
The press release from the European Commission
A summary of the projects receiving support
