RINA has announced the commencement of the six-year research Hydra Project to build a 100% hydrogen-fuelled pilot-plant capable of producing up to seven tonnes of different grades of steel per hour.
Funded by the European Commission NextGenerationEU and backed by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy through RINA’s Centro Sviluppo Materiali (CSM) in Castel Romano (Italy), the €88M Hydra project is part of the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) and will involve a dedicated team of 120 people.
The steel industry accounts for around 8% of global emissions with every tonne of steel produced currently emitting 1.63 tonnes of CO2 on average. The aim of the Hydra project is to reduce emissions to mere kilograms.
Hydra will involve the design and construction of an operational pilot-plant that will utilize hydrogen in every stage of the steel production cycle. The structure, scheduled for completion by 2025, will consist of a 30m high direct iron ore reduction (DRI) tower using hydrogen as a reducing agent, an electric furnace (EAF) and a reheating furnace.
Through a testing and qualification hub, the project will also characterise the materials, equipment and internal infrastructure required by steel producers, as well as those required for hydrogen transportation to the plant and storage, to transition to 100% hydrogen fuelled steel production, ensuring a comprehensive and validated shift to hydrogen-based processes.
As part of Hydra, RINA will also establish a training centre to gather and disseminate know-how related to the design, implementation, and deployment of hydrogen-based decarbonization technologies. The centre will become a permanent international research and development platform open to all stakeholders in the steel and energy industries.
Beyond the technological advancements, the truly unique nature of this project is its position as an open research facility. It is not intended or designed to provide commercial advantage to any one steel producer, rather move the industry, and the world, forward in the use of 100% hydrogen production with near zero emissions.
… said Ugo Salerno, Chairman and CEO of RINA
To remind, the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) recently released a report on green steel and shipping, emphasizing the importance of addressing steel emissions to decarbonize the ship lifecycle and fostering collaboration with other steel demand sectors, as steel accounts for 7-9% of global GHG emissions.
