Key Points

• HYBRIT has released its final report on producing direct reduced iron using fossil-free hydrogen and electricity.

• The HYBRIT technology has the potential to completely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in steel production and could cut Sweden's total emissions by more than 10%.

• The project, which successfully demonstrated a fossil-free value chain at a semi-industrial scale, is now transitioning to full-scale industrial deployment.

After six years of intensive research, HYBRIT has submitted its final report to the Swedish Energy Agency.

The report highlights that direct reduced iron produced using the HYBRIT process offers significant advantages over iron produced with traditional fossil fuels.

HYBRIT, initiated in 2016 by steel company SSAB, mining company LKAB, and energy company Vattenfall, aims to revolutionize the steel industry by replacing coal and coke with fossil-free hydrogen and electricity in iron production. This shift has the potential to nearly eliminate carbon dioxide emissions and could reduce Sweden’s total emissions by more than 10%.

As the world’s first project to demonstrate a fossil-free value chain from ore to steel on a semi-industrial scale, HYBRIT conducted research from 2018 to 2024, filed multiple patents, and is now advancing towards full-scale industrial implementation.

Andreas Regnell, Head of Strategic Development at Vattenfall and board member of Hybrit Development AB, stated: “It is very gratifying to see the positive results of our targeted cooperation. Partnership is a recipe for success. The next step involves scaling up to an industrial level, where fossil-free electricity and hydrogen will drive the transition to a future where transportation, production, and everyday life can be fossil-free.”

Ulf Spolander, General Manager of Hybrit Development AB, added: “HYBRIT's technical development focused on building expertise and creating the technical foundations for a fossil-free process in full-scale production. We are proud of the successful outcomes that met or exceeded our project goals. The knowledge and experience we’ve gained will now be directed towards supporting the industrialization efforts of our parent companies.”

Hybrit Development AB will continue research and development to provide solutions to LKAB’s demonstration plant in Gällivare. The pilot project for storing fossil-free hydrogen in Svartöberget, Luleå, will continue until 2026.

The HYBRIT initiative is funded by the EU’s Innovation Fund and Industriklivet and is part of the European IPCEI project Hy2Use, which encompasses 35 projects from 12 countries, aiming to accelerate industrial transition and bolster competitiveness across Europe.

Klara Helstad, Head of the Sustainable Industry Unit at the Swedish Energy Agency, remarked: “Achieving net-zero emissions in industry requires investments in innovative and transformative technologies. This is where The Industrial Leap plays a pivotal role. The ambition is for the knowledge gained from these initiatives to spread and hasten the industry’s transition.”