Environmental permit is given to Ovako´s hydrogen plant

On November 7, the Land and Environmental Court in Östersund approved and gave Ovako in Hofors the environmental permit to construct Sweden's largest electrolyzer for production of fossil-free hydrogen*. An important and long-awaited announcement, which will enable a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from the heating of steel. With this gratifying decision, the hydrogen plant will be in operation before the summer of 2023.

The new hydrogen plant in Hofors will make Ovako the first in the world to heat steel with hydrogen prior to rolling, and is the next major step towards carbon neutral steel production by replacing LPG with fossil-free hydrogen. The technical solution will also enable large-scale and cost-effective production of hydrogen for applications like fossil-free freight using fuel-cell trucks. The investment is made in collaboration with Volvo Group, Hitachi Energy, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen.

-There is a lot of work behind this and we, together with our partners, are extremely happy that the hydrogen plant will soon be in operation. It is an important step for the climate and for Ovakos journey towards zero emissions, says Rickard Qvarfort, Business Unit Manager Hofors-Hellefors.

About Ovako’s hydrogen plant
The electrolyzer for the production of fossil-free hydrogen will be installed at Ovako’s site in Hofors. The 17 MW plant will generate 3,500 cubic meters of fossil-free hydrogen per hour. The conversion to hydrogen will enable Ovako to reduce its CO2 emissions for steel production in Hofors by 50 percent from already low levels. The investment of approximately SEK 180 million is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency via the Industriklivet initiative. The plan is for local hydrogen production to be used in all of Ovako’s units where steel is rolled by 2030, provided that there is a good supply of fossil-free electricity.

For more information see previous press release and Ovako’s path to carbon neutrality .

*  The permit becomes legally binding on 28th of November and can be appealed before then. The permit can be claimed by the Company during any appeal.

About Ovako Ovako develops clean, high quality engineering steel for customers in the bearing, transport, and manufacturing industries. Our steel enables products that are lightweight, resilient and climate smart. Our sustainability ambition is high. Our production is carbon neutral since January 2022 and is based on recycled steel and fossil-free electricity. Ovako has around 2,900 employees in more than 30 countries and sales of approximately EUR 1000 million. We are a subsidiary of Sanyo Special Steel and a member of Nippon Steel Corporation, one of the largest steel producers in the world. For more information, please visit us at www.ovako.com, www.sanyo-steel.co.jp and www.nipponsteel.com.