The goal of ArcelorMittal is to lead the decarbonization of the steel industry, and this test represents a significant advancement in the company’s mission to produce zero-carbon steel using green hydrogen as an input via the DRI-based steelmaking method.

The goal of the experiment was to see if green hydrogen could be used instead of natural gas in the iron ore reduction process. In the initial test, green hydrogen replaced 6.8% of natural gas over the course of 24 hours, reducing CO2 emissions noticeably.

The test’s goal was to evaluate how well green hydrogen could take the place of natural gas in the iron ore reduction process. In this initial test, green hydrogen replaced 6.8% of natural gas for a 24-hour period, resulting in a discernible decrease in CO2 emissions. The electrolyser (a machine that creates green hydrogen from electricity and water) that created the green hydrogen utilised in the test was owned by a third party and shipped to Contrecoeur. Since the iron ore reduction process accounts for more than 75% of ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada’s (“AMLPC”) overall CO2 emissions, this represents a significant advancement.

AMLPC is evaluating the possibility of carrying out further tests in the coming months by increasing the use of green hydrogen at the DRI plant, which could eventually reduce CO [2] emissions in Contrecoeur by several hundred thousand tonnes per year.

A third-party electrolyzer (a device that produces green hydrogen from electricity and water) produced the green hydrogen utilised in the test, and it was transferred to Contrecoeur. Since the iron ore reduction process is responsible for more than 75% of ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada’s (“AMLPC”) overall CO2 emissions, this is a significant advancement.

By increasing the use of green hydrogen at the DRI facility, AMLPC is thinking about doing more trials in the coming months, which might reduce CO2 emissions in Contrecoeur by tens of thousands of tonnes annually. In Contrecoeur, the use of electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen is dependent on a variety of variables, including the availability of sufficient electricity to power the units.

The ArcelorMittal team was greeted by François Perras, President and CEO of AMLPC, on this crucial advancement in the production of low-CO2 steel:

“We just shown that Quebec can lead the world in the production of low-CO2 steel by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

ArcelorMittal intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by reducing CO2 emissions intensity globally by 25% by 2030.