Plant supplier Primetals Technologies made a major announcement at METEC 2023 in Düsseldorf today, with the company releasing its plans to supply a 1.5Mt/yr greenfield EAF plant in Puertollano, Spain.

The project will be led by Hydnum Steel, a newly formed company which is collaborating with partners including Russola, Siemens, and ABEI Energy to build its first green steel plant.

Primetals will be contributing its Arvedi ESP technology, which Alexander Fleischanderl, head of green steel stated will allow for advanced scrap automation and treatment, further streamlining the EAF.

It is the first green steel project in the Iberian Peninsula, and aims to capitalize on Spain’s growing automotive market through the production of flat steel.

The plant will utilize scrap and green HBI/DRI charge, alongside Primetals’ ESP technology, with Eric Vitse, chief technical officer at Hydnum Steel stating that the project is a ‘groundbreaking and ambitious endeavour’, marking a shift from ‘traditional heavy CO2 processes’.

'By introducing green hydrogen, we are considering renewables as a supply of electricity for the plant, reducing CO2 footprint, as part of a global fight on climate change.’

Eric Vilse, chief technical officer, Hydnum Steel

Vitse added that the plant ‘will operate on non-fossil-fuels’, commenting: ‘By introducing green hydrogen, we are considering renewables as a supply of electricity for the plant, reducing our CO2 footprint, as part of a global fight on climate change.’