British Steel announced a major feasibility study into the use of green hydrogen in steelmaking. The company worked with EDF UK, University College London and the Materials Processing Institute on the project, which aimed to support its target of net zero steel by 2050 and earlier reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
If the study succeeded, the company planned an industrial scale demonstration of hydrogen powered production, with a possible deployment at its main site in Scunthorpe, England. The hope was that other steelmakers would follow.
Steel is a useful example of why hydrogen matters beyond energy generation. The sector needs high temperatures and chemical reactions that are difficult to electrify directly. Hydrogen can serve as a reductant and a heat source, but the economics, the supply chain and the plant design all have to be proven together.
This item is part of the 2022 conference news archive. It records a development reported in the conference news feed.