Power4Steel

The Saarland steel industry, with the companies Dillinger and Saarstahl, plays a key role as an industrial consumer in the strategic development of the regional cross-border hydrogen value chain. Use of hydrogen is required to reduce emissions from processes in the steel industry. 

Dillinger and Saarstahl are firmly committed to the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2020, Dillinger and Saarstahl have already put a hydrogen-based steel production plant– the so-called coke gas injection system – into operation at both blast furnaces operated at our site in Dillingen. In 2022, Dillinger and Saarstahl have defined specific steps for the complete conversion of their production to green steel and thus for the transformation to carbon-neutral steel production.

The project „Power4Steel“ outlines a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions until latest 2045 with the aim of a carbon neutral production on the basis of a two-phase transformation plan. Our objective is to supply our customers with green steel from 2027/8 onwards. In phase 1 (ramp-up starting ~2027) it is planned to build a DRI (Direct reduced iron) production plant at our site in Dillingen as well as two EAFs (Electric Arc Furnace) for our production facilities located in Dillingen and Voelklingen. The commissioning of these plants is allowing a decommissioning for one of the two blast furnaces in Dillingen until 2030. In phase 2 we aim to convert the remaining blast furnace based production capacity to the EAF-route by installing a third EAF.