Questions and answers about our establishment in Boden
Why establish the new steel plant in Boden?
Our aim is to fundamentally transform the steel industry, which accounts for a significant part of Sweden's, and Europe's carbon dioxide emissions. Our steelmaking method is based on a new production process whereby hydrogen replaces carbon in the iron production, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95 percent.
Why have you selected Boden as the location?
The north of Sweden offers very favorable conditions for green steel production. We chose to locate our production in Boden and Norra Svartbyn thanks to the ample access to renewable energy at competitive prices in the long term, proximity to high-quality iron ore, vital infrastructure such as the Malmbanan railway and the Port of Luleå, and leading expertise in the region – an ideal environment for our venture.
How many employees will you have when the plant is in operation?
We expect to have about 1,500 employees by 2026, and approximately 2,000 employees by 2030.
Most of the workforce in Boden will act as operators across various fields, alongside electricians, mechanics, and maintenance technicians, among others. We will also need specific know-how within, for example, hydrogen handling, electrolysis, DRI production, casting, hot rolling, digitization, and machine learning, as well as more general competence in the form of financing, purchasing, and recruitment. Ancillary businesses are expected to grow with up to 10,000 new job opportunities in the region.
We are continuously looking for talent to join our mission to decarbonize the steel industry and we post job opportunities on our website on an ongoing basis. Please visit our career portal for more information about vacancies: career.h2greensteel.com. If you’re interested in our establishment in Boden, please register in “Contact” on the website.
What’s the status for the construction on site and needed permits?
In June 2023, we received full environmental permit approval from the Land and Environmental Court for the Boden plant. Construction work on the 270-hectare production site area is now underway and is divided into different stages, starting with ground works. In November 2023, we erected the first steel structure on our site, kicking off a major new phase where we began building our future steel mill alongside the groundwork.
How big is the site area?
Our site is part of the larger area called the Boden Industrial Park (BIP) and encompasses approximately 270 hectares, divided into two parts: one main site and an adjacent site for the electrolysis plant.
How does green steel production work?
This is described in one of our articles, read it here: Green steel production
How will you ensure a safe and sustainable work environment for the operators at the factory?
H2 Green Steel has high aims for sustainability in all areas. Good working conditions and a safe working environment have the highest priority. Starting the construction process we are doing everything we can to minimize risks and create overall conditions for a good working environment. At our facility in Boden, we will have strict safety procedures and provide necessary training and protective equipment.
Safety issues will naturally have the highest priority once in operation and have been taken into account in the factory layout and design. H2 Green Steel’s high safety and sustainability standards entail, in turn, imposing high requirements on our suppliers. In practice, that requires larger suppliers a to work actively and adamantly with sustainability and comply with the highest industry standards.
In addition, we have a close dialogue with relevant authorities and important stakeholders within the construction industry on issues such as fair working conditions and developing relevant standards.
How are you planning to work with circularity?
Our aim is to establish a circular facility where we make use of the by-products from our production, including the large amount of residual heat that is generated in the process. We are considering different options, such as district heating, greenhouses or electricity production. In addition, we are making significant investments in a closed water-cooling system. Our facility will therefore not release any cooling water or process water into the environment. Water will only be sourced from Lule River to produce hydrogen and replace any evaporated water from the production process. We are also installing a new type of indoor slag handling system, eliminating the dust and noise that otherwise occur in slag handling.
How much CO₂ emissions does your green steel reduce compared to traditional steel production?
Our green steel reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 95 percent compared to traditional steel production, which in Sweden today accounts for approximately 12 percent of the country's total emissions. According to our, H2 Green Steel’s, definition of green steel, actual CO2 reduction and improving circularity are both key. Therefore, green steel must be produced from a combination of a significant amount of green virgin iron and scrap in a production process that uses electricity from renewable energy sources. The total CO2 emissions in such a process must be more than 90 percent lower than that of traditional steelmaking in a blast furnace process.