LKAB looks to decarbonise iron production

Swedish miner talks to Hydrogen Economist about the Hybrit project and its plans for fossil-free sponge iron

Swedish mining giant LKAB is the biggest iron-ore producer in Europe, producing about 80pc of the iron ore in the region. Traditionally a supplier of iron-ore pellets, the firm is transitioning to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) using hydrogen, a process it has already demonstrated in the high profile Hybrit project—a collaboration with utility Vattenfall and steelmaker SSAB. DRI can be fed into an electric arc furnace to produce steel. Having produced its first shipment of green steel using this process, LKAB hopes to see rising demand for the product from the auto industry. Hydrogen Economist spoke to the company’s senior vice-president for energy and climate, Stefan Savonen, about how L