Salzgitter blast furnace
Photo: A3803 Jochen Lübke / dpa
Germany's second largest steel group Salzgitter is now also using green electricity from wind power to generate hydrogen for low-CO₂ production.
Together with E.on, Linde and Siemens, CEO Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann put the so-called sector coupling into operation on Thursday.
Electric energy from seven large wind turbines is fed into two electrolysis units.
In these, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen.
The former is then used - instead of classic, climate-damaging coking coal - in an alternative method of steel boiling, which should be as good as CO₂-free.
The steel industry hopes that such technology will have a major effect on compliance with stricter climate protection rules.
The "Windwasserstoff Salzgitter" project is intended to completely cover the energy requirements at the headquarters of Salzgitter AG.
50 million euros have already been invested.
Salzgitter wants to have completely converted from conventional to hydrogen-based steel production by 2050.
This is intended to reduce CO₂ emissions in production by up to 95 percent.
The group is also part of a consortium that wants to build a hydrogen infrastructure in northwest Germany in the coming years.
Icon: The mirror
ssu / dpa
