News Room - Steel Industry

Posted on 30 Oct 2024

UAE’s Emsteel, Masdar launch green DRI pilot

United Arab Emirates steel market leader Emsteel and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) have successfully commissioned their Abu Dhabi-based pilot plant to produce green steel using green hydrogen.

The pilot project is now fully operational and has begun producing green steel, demonstrating green hydrogen’s potential in steel production, the firms say in a joint statement seen by Kallanish.

This first-of-its-kind project in the Middle East and North African region comprises electrolysers producing clean hydrogen using renewable energy in Abu Dhabi. This hydrogen is then fed to direct reduction plants at Emsteel for trials in iron-making.

The project aligns with Abu Dhabi’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Policy, which promotes low-carbon hydrogen as a future clean energy source. The policy complements the UAE National Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to establish the UAE as a global leader in low-carbon hydrogen production by 2031.

The renewable hydrogen produced has been certified by Avance Labs, the hydrogen code manager accredited by the International Tracking Standard Foundation, following the new ISO 19870 methodology for hydrogen. Bureau Veritas validated this certification data as the third-party assurance provider.

“We are committed to advancing decarbonisation efforts in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative. Our achievements thus far include using clean energy sources for over 80% of our energy needs in 2023. Emsteel is also the first steelmaker globally to capture part of its CO2 emissions, achieving a carbon intensity 45% lower than the global average,” says Saeed Al Remeithi, group chief executive of Emsteel.

“Green hydrogen is crucial for advancing national and global decarbonisation efforts, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this endeavour,” notes Masdar ceo Mohamed Al Ramahi.

To further promote sustainable building materials, including green steel, the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure launched the National Green Certificates Program in July.

Source:Kallanish