Swedish company produces the world’s first “green” steel
In Sweden, SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall launched HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology) to develop a fossil-free value chain for iron and steel production.
The Hybrit technology replaces the blast furnace process, which uses carbon, with a new process involving renewable electricity and fossil-free hydrogen, releasing water vapour instead of carbon dioxide.
This venture started in 2016 and recently delivered the world’s first “green steel” batch to the truck manufacturer Volvo AB as a trial run before full commercial production in 2026. Volvo will start the production of prototype vehicles and components from this green steel later this year.
Why does it matter? The Swedish iron and steel industry is already climate-efficient by international standards, but it still accounts for about 10% of Sweden’s carbon dioxide emissions and 7% of global emissions.
Hydrogen is expected to play a key part in the EU’s resolution to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Producing fossil-free iron and steel would then be a significant step towards reaching this ambitious but necessary goal.
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