Project Hydra, an ambitious initiative that aims to stimulate steel production with 100% hydrogen fuel, is nearing completion. Italian company Tenova, known for its innovative solutions for the iron and steel industry, is a key part of this project, which is being led by RINA in Italy.
According to information published on Tenova's website, a 30-metre Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) tower and an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) will be installed, enabling this revolutionary project to be realised.
Funded by the European NextGenerationEU facility and supported by the Italian Ministry of Enterprise and Production, this €88 million initiative is aimed at enabling all European steel producers to test production using clean hydrogen fuel, thus creating future investment plans for a green transition in the sector.
Using advanced Energiron direct reduction technology, developed in collaboration between Tenova and Danieli, the DRI pilot plant and electric arc furnaces are expected to be able to produce up to 7 tonnes of steel per hour at full production capacity by 2025, with a significant reduction in carbon emissions. The project gives European steelmakers the opportunity to experiment with different combinations of natural gas and hydrogen.
"I am very proud of this project with RINA because it provides all European steelmakers with the first open source facility that will allow them to test the process with our pilot plant and support their future investments in significantly reducing emissions," said Tenovo CEO Roberto Pancaldi on the project, adding that they have been working with RINA since the 1990s, when they successfully developed several projects.
According to Carlo Luzzatto, CEO of RINA, Hydra's goal is to decarbonise the steelmaking process through hydrogen-based technologies. "With the help of our partners, we will build a pilot plant to experiment with steel production that emits a negligible fraction of the carbon emissions currently emitted by the global steel industry. Hydrogen is available to the entire supply chain for research and development in clean steel production."
According to earlier information released by the GMK Centre, RINA launched the six-year Hydra research project last autumn. This initiative will not only set up a training centre for the collection and dissemination of know-how in the field of hydrogen-based decarbonisation, but will also become a permanent international R&D platform open to all metal and energy stakeholders.
Tenova is a leading provider of technology solutions for metallurgy, steel, mining, energy and environmental technologies. Their portfolio encompasses a wide range of products and services, including technologies for steelmaking, material processing, continuous casting and much more. Tenova is known for its innovative approach to industrial automation and digitalization, helping to improve efficiency and sustainability in a variety of industries.
