Salzgitter AG intends to put hydrogen requirements out to tender for the first time as part of its Salcos programme. Hydrogen producers can now register to take part in the tender and submit their bids as the process continues. According to initial information, the hydrogen requirements of the Lower Saxony-based group are immense.
Salzgitter AG wants to start using hydrogen as early as 2026. The Salzgitter site alone is expected to require up to 150,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year. It will be used as part of the first of three expansion stages of the Salcos®-Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking green steel programme, through which the steel manufacturer aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 95% by 2030.
From 2026, Salzgitter intends to produce some of the hydrogen required in a company-owned 100 MW electrolysis plant on the factory premises. This is currently still under construction. The expected production volume is around 9,000 tonnes per year.
Start of H2 supply in 2027
The external supply of hydrogen is scheduled to begin in 2027. The prerequisite for this is the connection to the hydrogen core network; "in individual cases", other supply routes can also be realised. The Group will also consider hydrogen supplies starting after 2027 in the course of the first tender.
"We are counting on FNB Gas submitting an application for the core network to the Federal Network Agency as soon as the state aid authorisation has been granted and expect a reliable timetable for the construction of the hydrogen core network, which must be tackled with determination."
Specific hydrogen deliveries are already planned with the first partners. At the end of April, Salzgitter announced a corresponding agreement with the gas trader Uniper. Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter, emphasised that the Salcos programme can only be implemented with a "prompt connection" of the Salzgitter site to the hydrogen core network.
