As part of the H2Stahl real laboratory sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection BMWK, the industrial gases company Air Liquide has now completed a pipeline to thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg in Germany. The approximately 4 kilometer long pipeline connects the Duisburg steel mill site with Air Liquide's hydrogen network in the Ruhr district. In the fall of 2023, the trailblazer in Oberhausen, Germany, is scheduled to become the first 20 MW industrial-scale water electrolysis plant to be connected to Air Liquide's H2 network. In the first stage, this will allow customers to be supplied with up to 2,900 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year via pipeline. Provision for expanding capacity by +10 MW is in preparation, and additional initiatives to provide renewable hydrogen for industry and mobility in the region are under development. Europe's largest steel site in Duisburg is taking on a pioneering role in the decarbonization of steel production. As early as 2019, the two partners injected hydrogen into a blast furnace for the first time on a test basis to reduce CO2 emissions from conventional steel production. Thyssenkrupp Steel has successfully completed a series of initial tests for hydrogen injection into an existing blast furnace. Although an expansion of these tests is currently suspended due to high natural gas and energy prices, plans to build a direct reduction test facility are continuing unabated, in which the technological leap to hydrogen-based, carbon-neutral hot iron production will be tried out. The technological milestone will be when the first large-scale industrial direct reduction plant with melting units is constructed. The contracts for this are to be awarded shortly. Completion is scheduled for 2026. Air Liquide's 200 km long hydrogen pipeline network in the Rhine and Ruhr region offers the best opportunities for launching into the hydrogen future. The pipelines connect hydrogen production plants and major customers in Marl, Oberhausen, Duisburg, Krefeld, Leverkusen, Dormagen, Düsseldorf and other cities in the region.
As part of the H2Stahl real laboratory sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection BMWK, the industrial gases company Air Liquide has now completed a pipeline to thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg in Germany. The approximately 4 kilometer long pipeline connects the Duisburg steel mill site with Air Liquide's hydrogen network in the Ruhr district. In the fall of 2023, the trailblazer in Oberhausen, Germany, is scheduled to become the first 20 MW industrial-scale water electrolysis plant to be connected to Air Liquide's H2 network. In the first stage, this will allow customers to be supplied with up to 2,900 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year via pipeline. Provision for expanding capacity by +10 MW is in preparation, and additional initiatives to provide renewable hydrogen for industry and mobility in the region are under development. Europe's largest steel site in Duisburg is taking on a pioneering role in the decarbonization of steel production. As early as 2019, the two partners injected hydrogen into a blast furnace for the first time on a test basis to reduce CO2 emissions from conventional steel production. Thyssenkrupp Steel has successfully completed a series of initial tests for hydrogen injection into an existing blast furnace. Although an expansion of these tests is currently suspended due to high natural gas and energy prices, plans to build a direct reduction test facility are continuing unabated, in which the technological leap to hydrogen-based, carbon-neutral hot iron production will be tried out. The technological milestone will be when the first large-scale industrial direct reduction plant with melting units is constructed. The contracts for this are to be awarded shortly. Completion is scheduled for 2026. Air Liquide's 200 km long hydrogen pipeline network in the Rhine and Ruhr region offers the best opportunities for launching into the hydrogen future. The pipelines connect hydrogen production plants and major customers in Marl, Oberhausen, Duisburg, Krefeld, Leverkusen, Dormagen, Düsseldorf and other cities in the region.
