ArcelorMittal Poland plans to build a hydrogen production plant in Krakow

ArcelorMittal Poland has announced the launch of a project to build a hydrogen production plant on the territory of its Krakow division. This is stated in the company’s press release.

The initiative, which the global steelmaker is implementing together with Linde Gaz Polska, is aimed at providing hydrogen to two galvanizing lines, which will reduce environmental impact and improve the safety of production processes. The total cost of the project exceeds PLN 100 million, and the launch of hydrogen production is scheduled for the end of 2026.

The plant will be located directly next to the galvanizing lines, and hydrogen will be produced using natural gas. According to Lukasz Skorupa, director of ArcelorMittal Poland’s Krakow division, the company is already completing the construction of hydrogen furnaces worth PLN 52 million.

“We are actively introducing hydrogen into our production processes. This project will ensure a reliable supply of hydrogen and eliminate the use of ammonia, which will increase safety and environmental friendliness,” Skorupa emphasized.

The project is part of the company’s broader decarbonization strategy. According to Wojciech Kosciuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland, the company has already invested PLN 2.5 billion in the Krakow plant since 2004.

“We are gradually replacing outdated technologies with environmentally friendly ones. Decarbonization covers both steel production and processing processes,” added the CEO of the Polish division.

For its part, Linde Gaz Polska, which is a partner in the project, guarantees a high level of reliability and safety of hydrogen technology.

“We have offered ArcelorMittal the best solutions that will ensure safe and stable operation of the plant,” said Aleksandra Tużylina, CEO of Linde Gaz Polska.

This investment is another step towards reducing emissions and improving production efficiency as part of the company’s efforts to green the industry.

As GMK Center reported earlier, ArcelorMittal Poland is gradually phasing out outdated technologies in steel production and investing in green facilities. In particular, in the summer of 2024, the division announced a complete shutdown of the coke oven battery at its Krakow steel plant. Since November 2023, the unit has been in hot mothballing mode due to weakening demand for steel.

Over the past 20 years, ArcelorMittal has invested more than PLN 10.5 billion ($2.6 billion) in Polish assets. A significant portion of the funds has been allocated to environmental projects. The investments helped reduce dust emissions by the company’s Polish division by 90% and carbon dioxide by 42% compared to 2004.

ArcelorMittal Group intends to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The interim goal for European plants is to reduce CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030 compared to 2018.