This site, which is to be located in the heart of the French Alps where the 2030 Winter Olympics will be held, should also contribute to a sustainable model of winter tourism. This is the first agreement in Europe to replace fossil fuels with green hydrogen in the stainless steel sector, according to Lhyfe.
As part of its roadmap for decarbonising its business, Swiss Steel Group, one of the world’s largest producers, processors and distributors of long special steel products, has decided to use green hydrogen at the Ugitech plant in Ugine, to replace the natural gas used in some of its thermoprocessing equipment (burners, reheating furnaces, heat treatment furnaces, etc.) and thus decarbonise part of its industrial processes. The steelmaker, which produces around 200,000 tonnes of steel a year, has selected Lhyfe to support it in this energy transition. This project could avoid emitting 16,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year.
Lhyfe plans to install a green hydrogen production unit with a capacity up to 12 tonnes per day (a maximum electrolysis capacity of 30 MW) at Ugitech’s Ugine plant. This green hydrogen would be used mainly at the Ugitech plant, supplied via a pipeline. Lhyfe would also supply hydrogen to local mobility and industry players, to help develop the local hydrogen ecosystem, particularly in the run-up to the 2030 Winter Olympics.
The two partners are now entering the feasibility study phase of the project. Implementation of the project will be subject to the conclusions of this study, the granting of operating licences and building permits, and financial investment decisions.
Philippe Desorme, Vice Chief Executive Officer at Lhyfe, said: “We are delighted to sign this memorandum of understanding with Ugitech, whose commitment to decarbonisation we commend. The steel sector is a major consumer of fossil fuels and is one of the industrial sectors that should be decarbonised as a priority. The energy transition is going to become increasingly necessary to ensure the long-term survival of our industries, and green hydrogen is emerging as one of the pillars of this transition. It can and must now be deployed as quickly as possible, including in the steel sector.”
Frédéric Perret, Director of Development at Ugitech, said: “Ugitech is coordinating the HYDREAMS project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of substituting natural gas with decarbonised hydrogen in thermal steel transformation processes (reheating and heat treatment furnaces). HYDREAMS has nine European partners and has received a grant from the European RFCS fund. Using laboratory tests and industrial demonstrators, this project, which started in April 2023 and ends in October 2027, will verify that hydrogen combustion will have no negative impact on processes and products. The next step is to roll out this new solution to all systems for which direct electrification is not a compatible option. This is the purpose of this MoU with Lhyfe.”
