Eisenhüttenstadt, 05.04.2023:
ArcelorMittal continues to make great strides towards climate-neutral steel production at its Eisenhüttenstadt site. Together with the energy supplier Vulkan Energiewirtschaft Oderbrücke (VEO) – a joint venture between the city of Eisenhüttenstadt and ArcelorMittal – and McPhy Energy, a French specialist supplier of equipment for the production and distribution of hydrogen, ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt will build a pilot electrolysis plant and a hydrogen filling station on its factory premises. The innovative demonstration project includes the supply of two McPhy McLyzer electrolysers with a capacity of 1 MW each. A long-term 5-year service contract has also been agreed.
The electrolysers will produce hydrogen for direct use in steel production. The hydrogen will first be used in the cold rolling mill. The hydrogen filling station will be used to refuel forklift trucks or articulated lorries with some of the hydrogen produced. The oxygen also generated during electrolysis is to be reused on site in production, for example in production in the hot rolling mill. “The demonstration plant will serve H2 use in steel production as well as the logistical use of hydrogen-powered vehicles around steel production. With this project, we want to show and test the possibilities of hydrogen in industrial use and optimise it further before a complete change of technology and the use of further hydrogen in the coming years will fully convert production to climate neutrality,” says Reiner Blaschek, CEO ArcelorMittal Germany.
Prof. Dr. Jörg Steinbach, Minister of Economics of the State of Brandenburg: “The use of hydrogen in steel production contributes significantly to the urgently needed hydrogen infrastructure as a necessary building block for maintaining the steel industry in Brandenburg and for the energy transition. The project couples the energy, industry and mobility sectors and helps to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production and in the state of Brandenburg in the long term.” The state of Brandenburg is funding the project with 5.1 million euros as part of the regional innovation cluster.
Jean-Baptiste Lucas, Chief Executive Officer of McPhy: “We are proud to participate alongside ArcelorMittal and the State of Brandenburg in this large-scale and innovative project. This is our first major contract in the industrial sector, one of the most strategic and promising applications for green hydrogen. The work will be carried out in Germany, close to our site in Wildau. This is a milestone in our European expansion strategy and proof of the importance of our pan-European industrial footprint.”
Another goal is to optimise the overall energy efficiency of the production site by testing newly developed smart operating modes in real-world applications. They should make it possible to determine the best combination of software and hardware to improve system performance – comparable to software improvement in aircraft by implementing an intelligent strategy to control aircraft functions. The Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg accompanies the project scientifically and analyses data from the hydrogen use of the demonstration plant to increase efficiency and support the further development of electrolysers. Prof. Dr. Lars Röntzsch, BTU Cottbus: “Increasing energy efficiency through the use of intelligent operating modes in electrolysis is a challenging topic that we are very happy to work on scientifically in order to make our contribution to ensuring that this important future technology enables climate-neutral operation in such an energy-intensive industry as the steel industry. Hydrogen will be of great importance as a green energy carrier for industry and mobility in Brandenburg.”
Image 1: Alexander Picco (Chief Project Management Officer McPhy) Prof. Dr Lars Röntzsch (BTU Cottbus), Prof. Dr Jörg Steinbach (Minister of Economics Brandenburg), Reiner Blaschek (CEO ArcelorMittal Germany) (l.t.r., Source: ArcelorMittal)
Image 2: Illustration of the planned McPhy electrolyser (source: McPhy)
About ArcelorMittal – Germany:
With a production volume of around 8 million tonnes of crude steel, ArcelorMittal is one of the largest steel manufacturers in Germany. The automotive, construction and packaging industries are among its customers, as is the household goods sector. The company operates four large production sites in Germany. These include two integrated flat steel mills in Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt and two long steel mills in Hamburg and Duisburg. In addition, the Group operates ArcelorMittal Construction in Sandersdorf/Brehna, a production site with sales for sandwich panels as well as profiling facilities for cassette, trapezoidal, support, design, and corrugated profiles. In addition, the Group has a strong distribution network in Germany with four steel service centers and ten steel trading locations. ArcelorMittal operates a pipe mill in Altensteig. The group employs around 8,500 people in Germany.
Further information on ArcelorMittal Germany: https://germany.arcelormittal.com (external link!)
About ArcelorMittal – Global:
ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 16 countries. In 2022, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $79.8 billion and crude steel production of 59 million tonnes, while iron ore production reached 45.3 million tonnes. Our goal is to produce ever smarter steels that have positive benefits for people and the planet. Steels that are produced with innovative processes that use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support society as it moves through the new century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at our heart, we will help the world make this transformation. This is what it takes to be the steel company of the future. ArcelorMittal is listed on the New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS). For more information on ArcelorMittal, please visit: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com Further information on ArcelorMittal Global: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com (externer Link!)
Source: ArcelorMittal