Swedish Hybrit successfully completes a pilot hydrogen storage project

The project demonstrated the possibility of storing hydrogen for steel production on an industrial scale

Sweden’s Hybrit, a joint venture between steelmaker SSAB, mining company LKAB, and energy company Vattenfall, has completed a pilot hydrogen storage project, as reported to the Swedish Energy Agency. This is stated in the company’s message.

According to the company, the results of the project show the technical feasibility of storing hydrogen for metallurgical production without fossil fuels on an industrial scale.

As part of the initiative, a 100 m3 hydrogen storage facility was successfully designed and built based on the technology of rock caverns with steel lining. The completed tests have demonstrated that the technology works to support a large hydrogen user. In addition, it is possible to achieve savings of about 25-40% on its production.

The pilot storage facility has undergone accelerated mechanical testing equivalent to approximately 50 years of operation. The safety, functionality, and performance of the facility were demonstrated.

“The pilot project has been highly successful and has given us the results we hoped for. We have shown that it is possible to use this technology to increase the flexibility of the electricity system and that it is a safe design that lasts over time,” said Mikael Nordlander, Director, Industry Decarbonisation at Vattenfall’s Industrial Partnerships.

According to him, thanks to the results and experience gained in the pilot project, the technology is ready for expansion.

As noted, the purpose of the hydrogen storage facility is primarily to be able to adjust hydrogen production to fluctuations in the electricity market. These costs are optimized by producing and storing excess hydrogen when electricity prices are low and reducing its output when prices are high.

“The results from the HYBRIT pilot project show that large-scale storage of fossil-free hydrogen is technically possible and economically beneficial. With these innovative technologies, we can build strong fossil-free value chains with the potential of drastically reducing the climate footprint of the iron and steel industry,” said Martin Pei, CTO at SSAB.

The Swedish Energy Agency co-financed 22% of the project, with the rest coming from Hybrit’s owners.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in December 2023, Hybrit received a SEK 3.1 billion ($302 million) grant under the Swedish Energy Agency’s Industriklivet program. The investment will be used to build the first demonstration plant in Jällivare for the production of fossil-free sponge iron on an industrial scale, which LKAB is responsible for.