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07.04.2021 (442 Clicks)

Implenia upgrades St. Gallen City Expressway as Part of Joint Venture

Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has awarded a contract for construction work on the St. Gallen city expressway, worth CHF 165.1 million, to the “Stadtautobahn” joint venture, in which Implenia has a 30% share.

07.04.2021 (482 Clicks)

Queensland Resources Sector a Hydrogen and Jobs Hot Spot

The Queensland Resources Council’s (QRC) latest State of the Sector report highlights the continuing adaptability and resilience of the state’s $82.6 billion resources industry, in spite of the impact of the global pandemic, Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said today.

Mr Macfarlane said a survey of QRC member company CEOs in February 2021 showed resources companies are actively looking at new technologies such as hydrogen to reduce emissions and grow their business in a sustainable way.

07.04.2021 (425 Clicks)

HYBRIT: SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall building unique Pilot Project in Luleå for large-scale Hydrogen Storage investing a Quarter of a Billion Swedish Kronor

SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall have commenced building a rock cavern storage facility for fossil-free hydrogen gas on a pilot scale next to HYBRIT’s pilot facility for direct reduction in Luleå, North of Sweden. This is an important step in the development of a fossil-free value chain for fossil-free steel. The investment cost of just over SEK 250 million (about 24 M €) is divided equally across the holding companies and the Swedish Energy Agency, which provides support via Industriklivet.

As part of the SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall joint initiative HYBRIT, Hybrit Development AB is starting the construction of a hydrogen storage facility in Svartöberget to develop the technology for storage. Fossil-free hydrogen, which will replace coal and coke, is a crucial part of the production technique for fossil-free iron and steel production, where emissions of carbon dioxide will be virtually eliminated.

Hydrogen storages are predicted to play a very important role in future power and energy balancing, and in large-scale hydrogen production. The storage facility is expected to be ready and operational from 2022 until 2024.

'We're really pleased that HYBRIT is continuing to lead the development of efficient production for fossil-free steel, as we're now also building a pilot storage facility for large-scale fossil-free hydrogen in Luleå. Storage provides the opportunity to vary demand for electricity and stabilise the energy system by producing hydrogen when there's a lot of electricity, for example in windy conditions, and to use stored hydrogen when the electricity system is under strain,' says Andreas Regnell, Head of Strategy at Vattenfall and Chairman of the Board at HYBRIT.

'By developing a method for hydrogen storage and securing access to fossil-free electricity, we're creating a value chain all the way out to customers where everything is fossil-free – from the mine to the electricity and to the finished steel. This is unique,' says Martin Pei, Technical Director of SSAB and Board member of HYBRIT.

'This is another important step, not just for us, but in the conversion of the entire industry. With HYBRIT, we're also working together to develop the technology for storing hydrogen in an efficient way, which is key to being able to produce fossil-free sponge iron, the raw material for the fossil-free steel of the future. LKAB will need to become Sweden's and perhaps Europe’s biggest hydrogen producer in the future, and this pilot project provides additional valuable knowledge for the continued work in creating the world’s first fossil-free value chain for the iron and steel industry,' says Lars Ydreskog, Director of Strategic Projects at LKAB and member of the HYBRIT Board.

The 100 cubic metre hydrogen storage is being built in an enclosed rock cavern approximately 30 metres below ground. Building the storage facility underground provides opportunities to ensure the pressure required to store large amounts of energy in the form of hydrogen in a cost-effective way. The technology used is adapted to Scandinavian bedrock conditions and will now be developed further to handle the storage of hydrogen. The storage facility is being built according to the high safety requirements that apply and checked by the responsible authorities.

Fossil-free hydrogen is central to the HYBRIT process. Hydrogen can be produced cost-effectively through the electrolysis of water using fossil-free electricity. The hydrogen produced by the electrolysers can be used immediately or stored for later use. The storage facility is based on proven technology and the hydrogen is used in the plant’s direct reduction reactor to remove oxygen from iron ore pellets. The fossil-free sponge iron resulting from the process is then used as a raw material in the manufacture of fossil-free steel.

FACTS: HYBRIT project

• The HYBRIT initiative was launched in 2016 by the three owners; SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall. The pilot facility for the production of fossil-free sponge iron in Luleå was commissioned on 31 August 2020 and, on 24 March 2021, Gällivare was chosen as the location for the planned demonstration facility for industrial scale production.
• With HYBRIT, SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall intend to create a completely fossil-free value chain from mine to finished steel, with fossil-free pellets, fossil-free electricity and hydrogen.
• Within the HYBRIT initiative, technological development will be taking place in order to challenge established and commercially available technologies. The principal goal is to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the process by using completely fossil-free input materials and energy across all parts of the value chain. Instead, emissions will become water.
• Hybrit Development AB is a research and technology development company that will be delivering solutions to the facilities. Technological development will take place in close partnership with the holding companies.
• The investment of approximately SEK 250 million in the pilot facility for hydrogen storage also includes two years of operation and a testing program.
• From as early as 2021, HYBRIT’s pilot facility for direct reduction will be able to produce fossil-free sponge iron for the manufacture of fossil-free steel for customer prototypes.
• The initiative has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent in Sweden and 7 percent in Finland. The steel industry today accounts for 7 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions.
• Fossil-free iron and steel production using HYBRIT technology, corresponding to SSAB’s current production level, will require approximately 15 TWh per year. LKAB’s conversion of its operations will, once completed, require a total of around 55 TWh of electricity per year (including the majority of SSAB's needs). This will require permit granting processes to be faster and more predictable to acquire for the expansion of Sweden’s electricity grid.
• The technique used to build the hydrogen store is called LRC (Lined Rock Cavern) and means that the walls of the cavern are covered with a carefully selected material as a sealing layer.
• Industriklivet is a long-term initiative from the government to support Sweden’s transition to becoming fossil-free by 2045.

Source: SSAB

                     

06.04.2021 (525 Clicks)

Continental expands General Tire portfolio for Earthmoving Industry

• The General TE95 provides continuous traction performance in road and construction applications
• V.ply technology and an optimized tire contour provide high stability
• Matching addition to the existing General Tire series

06.04.2021 (459 Clicks)

Production Capacity in Aitik and Tara restored

Production capacity in Aitik and Tara is now fully restored after previously announced disruptions due to covid-19 and breakdowns. Impact on operating profit in Business Area Mines is estimated to amount to SEK -300 million in Q1, compared with SEK -200 million that was previously communicated.

06.04.2021 (366 Clicks)

Metso Outotec completes Divestment of its Aluminium Business

Metso Outotec has completed the divestment of its Aluminium business to REEL International, headquartered in France.

05.04.2021 (386 Clicks)

BAM Nuttall begins Work on East Coast Mainline Station

BAM Nuttall began construction of the new Reston station in the Scottish Borders (24 March) on behalf of Network Rail.

05.04.2021 (368 Clicks)

Balfour Beatty secures Early Environment Works HS2 Contract

Balfour Beatty announced that it has been awarded a £52 million contract on behalf of HS2, to deliver environmental works across the route from West Midlands to Crewe. The contract has been awarded through the SCAPE Framework, to which the company was appointed as sole contractor in 2018.

05.04.2021 (393 Clicks)

Anglo American Collaboration on Feasibility Study for South Africa's Hydrogen Valleys

Anglo American announces a collaboration agreement to complete a feasibility study to develop a “hydrogen valley” anchored in the platinum group metals-rich Bushveld geological area in South Africa. Spearheaded by South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the collaboration agreement also includes energy and services company Engie, the South African National Development Institute (SANEDI) and clean energy solutions provider Bambili Energy (Bambili).

01.04.2021 (379 Clicks)

Act now to secure the UK’s critical Materials Supply, say Birmingham Experts

The UK must act now to ensure a stable supply of technology-critical metals (TCMs) essential for its transition to clean energy and the delivery of its ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, according to a new Policy Commission report produced by the University of Birmingham.