Page 26 - Green Builder Magazine Jul-Aug 2021

H2 Green Steel

S 80% 5 million
T

A steel fossil free tons
T
Composition of the typical U.S. car Production goal for the new
S
H2 Green Steel plant by 2030

EW IN THE CONSTRUCTION business can survive power source? Green hydrogen.
without a work vehicle or two. But those cars or trucks Green hydrogen can be made using renewably generated
or skid steers come at a high environmental cost. electricity—i.e., created from other renewable power
F Roughly 80 percent of their components are made sources such as solar or wind—to split water molecules into
from steel, metal that is produced via fossil fuel-derived hydrogen and oxygen. According to Henriksson, H2 Green
energy sources, primarily gas and coal. Steel crafted in Steel will use that hydrogen to create the high-temperature
such a manner generates about 7 percent of the world’s heat needed to produce “clean” steel that is just as high
greenhouse gas emissions (GhGs)—and the World Steel quality as the “dirty” or “heavy” type.
Association considers that total to be on the low end. “The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our time,”
That entire situation is unacceptable, according to Henriksson says. “Given steel’s impact on other industries’
Henrik Henriksson, CEO of H2 Green Steel in Stock- sustainable development, a rapid change of the steel industry
holm. That’s why, in 2024, his company plans to open an is extremely important.”
ultra-sized production facility in Northern Sweden that, H2 Green Steel’s site will be a fully integrated, digitalized
when fully operational by no later than 2030, will harvest and automated “greenfield” (built sustainably from inception
5 million tons of steel in fossil-free fashion every year. The to completion) steel plant, the company notes. The goal is for

Dirty thinking. Whereas current steel manufacturing facilities use atmosphere- Popular partner . Mercedes-Benz, with its own carbon emissions
polluting fossil fuels for power, H2 Green Steel wants a plant that runs fossil free. reduction goals, is among a growing number of companies investing in
CREDIT: DAVE HEUTS/FLICKR H2 Green Steel. COURTESY OF MERCEDES-BENZ
24 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2021 www.greenbuildermedia.com