HYDESS: Paving the way for clean steel production with hydrogen
We’ve pioneered a study on the potential to develop hydrogen as a fuel source for heavy industry, aiming to reduce reliance on natural gas in steel production, and offering a viable option to reduce CO2 emissions while enhancing energy security.
Just a stone’s throw from some of Sheffield’s world-renowned steelmakers, at our Blackburn Meadows renewable energy park, we’ve been leading on a study to explore the potential of using hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels in South Yorkshire’s energy intensive steel industry.
Since 2022 the Hydrogen Decarbonisation of Sheffield Steel (HYDESS) project has brought together a consortium of industry partners, academics and local authorities. HYDESS was designed to assess the feasibility of hydrogen as a more planet-friendly fuel for steelmakers, generating the fuel from renewable sources for use in heavy industry, supporting the transition to a cleaner economy.
Project partners include major industry players close to the site, including Forgemasters, working alongside Chesterfield Special Cylinders and supported by Glass Futures and AMRC/University of Sheffield, to test the potential to generate, store and transport hydrogen for the heating and forging processes in steelmaking.
Two years on and the HYDESS project has made significant strides forward in decarbonising steel production. At our Blackburn Meadows site approximately 200kg/h or 1,500 tonnes of hydrogen could be produced each year with the potential to increase production as the market grows.
We believe hydrogen is a versatile and easily integrable energy source in existing industrial processes and has the potential to bring about substantial reductions in CO2 emissions. It will play a significant role in our energy future, powering energy-intensive industries and long-distance transport. By incorporating hydrogen into the fuel mix for steel production, the HYDESS project aims to pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable steel industry.
This study, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator Programme, has provided a solid foundation for future developments in hydrogen technology. And with further funding we hope to develop a commercial proposition that will bring hydrogen production to life by 2026.
Our Blackburn Meadows Renewable Energy Park, which already houses biomass power generation and battery storage, as well as supplying our district heating scheme in the Lower Don Valley, is the perfect example of how a range of sustainable technologies can support energy for an entire city, and looking forward we have a plan of how the site could be adapted to enable hydrogen production.