Hydnum Steel and Primetals plan green steel mill in Spain

Hydnum Steel and Primetals Technologies plan to build a "green" steel mill in Puertollano, Spain. The companies made the announcement at Metec in Düsseldorf. The plant will be one of the most important production sites for green steel in Europe. The green hydrogen to be used will be produced locally.

Hydnum Steel plans first green steel plant in Spain to reduce imports and CO₂ emissions

The plant will supply flat steel for various industries and applications, including high-strength grades for the automotive industry, which generates about 10 % of Spain's GDP, according to Primetals. Nevertheless, Spain - like Europe as a whole - is still a net importer of flat steel. Hydnum Steel aims to alleviate this situation with what it claims will be the first green steel mill in Spain.

Phases 2 and 3 will involve the construction of a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant and a complete cold rolling complex. The DRI plant will run on green hydrogen generated from locally produced renewable energy. Engineering firm Russula will lead the project development. It will be supported by ABEI Energy, an independent power producer, as well as Siemens and Primetals Technologies.

"The plant will be designed from the ground up to use non-fossil energy throughout the manufacturing process, meaning green hydrogen will be used in the production process to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions," says Eric Vitse, chief technical officer at Hydnum Steel.

Green steel plant in Puertollano with high production capacity

Primetals initially aims to produce 1.5 million tons of hot-rolled strip per year. In the medium term, capacity could rise to 2.6 million t of hot- and cold-rolled coils by 2030, he said. The Hydnum Steel project is expected to create 1,200 direct jobs and around 2,600 indirect jobs in the region, contributing to the development of the Spanish industry.

"We are very pleased to announce the plans for this extremely important green steel project. Our minimill concept features highly efficient electric steelmaking technology and the Arvedi ESP line, which ensure unmatched energy efficiency. These solutions ensure that Hydnum Steel has the right technology to produce steel with significantly reduced carbon emissions compared to a conventional integrated steel mill," said Andreas Viehböck, Head of Upstream Technologies at Primetals Technologies.

Source: Primetals/2023