Second phase of FOSSA collaboration starts
The second phase of the joint project FOSSA (Fossil-free Steel Applications) coordinated by SSAB Europe has received a positive financing decision from Business Finland. The project supports SSAB’s goal of building a fossil-free value chain from steel production to the end customer.
Together with partners in the FOSSA consortium, SSAB aims to create fossil-free or low-carbon value chains for the Finnish mechanical engineering and metal industries. The FOSSA project will enable the development of properties for fossil-free, high-strength steels based on the needs of key customer segments in collaboration with other parties in the value chain.
Phase I of the FOSSA project consortium consisted of four companies (SSAB Europe Oy, Hiab Finland Oy, Fortaco Ostrobothnia Oy and Indalgo Oy), three research organizations (the University of Oulu, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Tampere University) and in kind companies, e.g. Ponsse Plc. New companies have joined as partners in the second phase of the project, e.g. John Deere Forestry Oy and Ponsse Plc.
The first phase of the Fossa project started in 2022 and led to the development of a number of new products, such as metal-coated SSAB ZeroTM products and the first Finnish application of fossil-free steel, Hiab's MULTILIFT Ultima 18S FFS hooklift, in the production of which fossil-free steel was used.
The FOSSA project has three main themes: the fossil-free steel value chain, advanced steels and applications, and the virtual manufacturing of steel products.
"In the FOSSA project, we are developing fossil-free steel products and the entire value chain, including cargo handling and the transport industry. The financing of the second phase enables large-scale development of new products in cooperation with customers and universities, as well as the expansion of fossil-free value chains to the Finnish engineering and marine industries, for example," says Pasi Suikkanen, Product Development Manager at SSAB Europe.
For SSAB, the total budget for the second phase, which will now start, is approximately EUR 3.9 million, of which Business Finland will finance approximately EUR 1.5 million.
The Fossa joint venture enables the steel and engineering industry, which is important for Finland’s exports, to move towards the use of fossil-free, high-strength steels. The company-led Fossa consortium has a well-established value chain and closely planned cooperation between companies and universities. The project supports Finland’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2035.
SSAB’s Board of Directors has taken a policy decision to fundamentally transform Nordic strip production. The aim is to largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from our own operations. The decision was taken against the background of rapidly growing demand for fossil-free steel. Investment decisions have been made to transform the mills in in Oxelösund and Luleå in Sweden. The third step in the transformation is the transformation of Raahe. The timing of the Raahe project will depend on SSAB’s financing and implementation capacity and the lessons learned from the Luleå project.
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