Green Hydrogen Transformation of the Iron and Steel Production System: An Integrated Operating Concept for System-internal Balance, Lower Emissions, and Support for Power System Stability

The green hydrogen transformation of the iron and steel industry is considered a technically viable option. Concretely, large-scale renewable energy generation and water electrolyzer capacity are to be added to the production system. Given that renewables are intermittent and H2 demand is high, there is continued reliance on the CO2 emitting upstream power system. This paper introduces a novel operating concept that regards an extended production system that includes not only the renewables and water electrolyzer but also a dedicated conventional generator and onsite customer and prioritizes loads with the aim to create an internal balance. The paper studies different production system configurations and load prioritization strategies, evaluating technoeconomic properties, CO2 emissions, the internal balance, and the support for the stability of the upstream power system. It finds that local, emission-free production of H2 is not only techno-economically viable, but that the integrated operating concept leads to lower Scope I and II emissions and to significant reduction of electrical loads on the upstream power system.