What is green iron?  

When producing steel, iron ore must first be reduced into sponge iron, also known as direct-reduced iron. This reduction step has traditionally relied on fossil fuels. Iron ore is most commonly reduced in blast furnaces, where the use of coal contributes significantly to pollution and emissions. 

We will produce green iron in a different way. Green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy sources such as wind and hydropower, replaces coal in the reduction process. By substituting fossil fuels with green hydrogen, we can drastically reduce CO₂ emissions. The process takes place in a reactor inside our 145-meter-tall direct reduction tower. 

How can our green iron speed up other steelmaker’s decarbonization?  

In our first few years of production at our Boden plant, we will produce more green hydrogen-based iron than we will use ourselves. At the same time, several established steelmakers are planning their own decarbonization journeys, where iron plays a critical role and is an increasingly scarce resource. So we thought: why not work together? 

Besides having pre-sold a large share of our steel from the Boden plant, we have also pre-sold a majority of our excess iron. Selling that iron in the form of HBI, or hot-briquetted iron, to incumbent steelmakers seeking to reduce emissions is a great way to speed up their transition to an end-product with significantly lower emissions. 

Want to learn more about our green HBI and how it can support your company in reducing emissions? Get in touch!