Hitachi Energy supplies electrical system for green hydrogen plant for heating steel
Hitachi Energy supplies electrical system for the world’s first green hydrogen plant for heating steel before rolling.
Image for illustration purposes.
Switzerland, Zürich: Hitachi Energy supplies electrical system for the world’s first green hydrogen plant for heating steel before rolling.
Hitachi Energy has delivered a modular eHouse solution to Ovako, the leading European manufacturer of steel and one of the largest steel recyclers in the Nordic countries, to electrify the 20 megawatts (MW) electrolyzer in Hofors, Sweden. This is the world’s first plant to heat steel with hydrogen before rolling. In addition to steel heating, the hydrogen will be used to fuel cell-powered trucks, and the excess heat from the plant will be used for district heating.
This achievement is a result of a cross-border collaboration with Hitachi Energy, Ovako, Volvo Group, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen, announced in the summer of 2021 and supported by the Swedish Energy Agency with the aim of establishing an industrial-wide use of green hydrogen, increasing the knowledge about the possibilities of the fuel and achieving cost-effective production.
Hitachi Energy has supplied a modular and factory-built Grid-to-Stack solution with main components such as transformers and rectifiers, related control equipment and high-current connections required to convert alternating current from the distribution grid to direct current used in the electrolyser.
“We are proud to collaborate with Ovako and be part of the journey to advance a sustainable steel industry. This project is a significant milestone and holds the potential to substantially reduce global emissions and the journey continues in Sweden and globally together,” said Johan Söderström, Head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Hitachi Energy.
“The hydrogen plant strengthens Sweden’s position in sustainable innovations. There is an increasing demand for climate-neutral steel, in which we already hold a leading position, and there is significant interest in the industry for these types of new solutions,” says Marcus Hedblom, President and CEO of Ovako. “Now, we are showing the way forward for making high-grade industrial heat entirely fossil-free, not just for steel.”
On September 5, 2023, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, together with Japanese Ambassador Noke Masaki, Ovako President, CEO Marcus Hedblom and key representatives from Hitachi Energy, Volvo Group, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen inaugurated the hydrogen plant in Hofors mill.
Source: Hitachi Energy
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