Salzgitter AG Executive Board Chairman Professor Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann commented: “As our SALCOS® project has demonstrated, we are technologically in a position to achieve significant reductions in CO₂ with the aid of hydrogen. The Salzgitter Wind Hydrogen project is an important building block on the way towards climate-friendly steel production. It is now the turn of politicians to put in place the right conditions to support the transformation into a low-CO₂ industry.”
The cost of the project as a whole – including the construction of the wind turbines and the hydrogen plant and connecting these to the existing supply networks – amounts to around € 50 million.
Hydrogen has long played a role in steelmaking, in enhancing the quality of annealing processes. The gas is currently supplied by Linde AG, and this company will in future continue to safeguard Salzgitter’s own production.
A containerized plant will be erected in Salzgitter which at full capacity will produce 400 Nm³ of hydrogen. PEM technology is ideally suited to exploiting the volatile generation of wind and solar power. The highly dynamic mode of operation allows the plants to respond to demands resulting from the rapidly fluctuating power supply.
Gabriele Schmiedel, Executive Vice President, Hydrogen Solutions at Siemens Gas and Power, explained: “Reducing CO₂ across all industries is a central challenge if we are to meet medium- and long-term climate targets. Renewable energy generation and innovative technologies such as the production of green hydrogen through electrolysis are essential components. We are delighted to join with Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH to advance the application of green hydrogen in the steel industry.”
_{(Source: Salzgitter AG)}