UK steelmaker British Steel is conducting a major study into the use of green hydrogen in its operations following the receipt of a £161,000 ($200,000) grant to do so from the UK government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).

The six-month study will be carried out at the firm’s Teesside Beam Mill in collaboration with utility EDF, and research institutions UCL and the Materials Processing Institute.

The Tees green hydrogen project is already underway in the region, with the aim of using green electricity from the nearby Teesside Offshore Wind Farm and a proposed solar facility to power a hydrogen electrolyser.

“This study is a vital and hugely exciting step” Adcock, British Steel

The study will evaluate the potential of using this hydrogen to decarbonise British Steel’s operations. EDF will carry out a technoeconomic assessment of the methodology and practicality of delivering green hydrogen for fuel switching, and British Steel will assess the technical implications of the fuel switch on both product and process.

The Materials Processing Institute research team use a computational fluid dynamics model for hydrogen combustion in heating furnaces to evaluate the efficiency of the process.

“This study is a vital and hugely exciting step on our journey to developing the technology needed to transform the way we, and other steel manufacturers, operate,” says Lee Adcock, British Steel’s environment and sustainability director.

The money for the project came as part of the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy’s industrial fuel-switching programme.

"As we accelerate the UK’s energy independence by boosting clean, homegrown, affordable energy, it is crucial that our industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuels,” says energy and climate change minister Greg Hands.

"This investment will help them to not only cut emissions but also save money on energy bills, on top of supporting jobs by encouraging green innovation across in the UK.”

The award was one of 21 grants totalling £5.6mn given to industrial firms to use hydrogen to decarbonise their operations. One other steel project received funding.

British Steel has a goal to significantly reduce its carbon intensity by 2030 and 2035 and deliver net-zero steel production by 2050.

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Author: Tom Young