SSAB General Director Johnny Shostrem recently said that the green steel project is not without risk, but necessary, but necessary, but necessary. SSAB, together with the State Mining company LKAB and State Energy Group Vattenfall, launched the Hybrit project in 2016 to pull out coal with climate from steel production.
The key to this should come from North Sweden: cheap electricity from water and wind energy. SSAB is relied not only on steel scrap for climatic processing, but also for the production of green hydrogen. With the help of its help, an iron sponge of steel grocery product is obtained from iron ore.
After the pilot installation, at which the iron sponge was first made with this technology in 2021, SSAB is preparing the construction of a new steel mill of 4.5 billion euros in the place of Luleå. The emissions of the Swedish CO2 should decrease by seven percent by transforming production steel only into this work.
3000 people are working on green steel in Steers
Nevertheless, this is not without obstacles: the beginning of production was moved only until the end of 2029 at the end of 2029. Reason: Wattentenfall announced delays in the necessary reinforcement of the electricity transmission network. SSAB wants to be completely fossilized by 2045, the first green steel should be obtained from work in Oxelösund since 2026. The coke mill and coat are replaced by methods for the production of steel scrap and iron sponge.
The competitor with green steel Steigra does not have an old infrastructure for converting, he builds a giant complex in the ground, near Luleo. Nevertheless, Steers has been under observation from the moment of bankruptcy of Northvolt: the founders, investors and financing model were partially the same as with the unsuccessful manufacturer of the battery. Henrik Enricksson’s darling boss currently emphasizes the mind, not gambling: expansion plans, including Portugal, Brazil and Canada, are suspended. Focus is now only on Earth.
Currently, 3,000 people work there, and 5000 should be in the fall. Steegra builds everything in one place, next to the steel mill, a huge electrolysis system for hydrogen production. Industrial production should begin here in the fall of 2026. The start time was also postponed several times in the ground.
Stegra raised 75 billion crowns, about 6.7 billion euros – among other things, with the sale of goods that did not exist, as it was NorthVolt. Among other things, customers include German car manufacturers. To date, 360 million euros from the EU and Sweden existed for Steers.
At the first stage, the company wants to produce 2.5 tons of steel a year. For comparison: Arcelormittal, number 2 in the industry around the world, last year produced 65 million tons of raw steel.
Does the green steel not pay off?
It is still unclear whether electricity in Sweden is enough to double production at the planned second stage. Even in the north of Sweden, a huge requirement for green steel electricity remains a central problem.
Investments are critically considered by the Swedish Research Institute IFN. There, economists came to the conclusion that green steel, which is more expensive in production, will not be economically viable. Its long -term economy involves, among other things, electricity prices remain low, and prices for CO2, which is also not provided.
In addition, steel giants around the world must fail in their attempts to develop cheaper opportunities to reduce their emissions. Economists warn of gigantic immersion in technology without the future.
Swedish pioneers are dismissed. The development of technology means, among other things. And for Swedish iron ore, hydrogen technique is great.
