thyssenkrupp Steel has received approval from the Düsseldorf district government for an early start to construction of the direct reduction plant. This means that construction work can begin before the final approval is received. thyssenkrupp Steel submitted the application for approval in October 2023. The approval notice for the early start of construction is an important milestone in the approval process according to the Federal Immission Control Act (BImschG). Final approval is expected at the end of 2024.
“We are very pleased that the Düsseldorf district government approved our application for an early start to construction so quickly. “We have thus overcome another important hurdle in realizing the first direct reduction plant at the Duisburg site and are taking a big step forward on the path to climate-neutral steel production,” says Dr. Arnd Köfler, Chief Technology Officer at thyssenkrupp Steel.
Once the work has been completed, the foundation work for the direct reduction plant can begin to prepare the construction site. In the next few months, a veritable factory town will be built on the site, which is almost 40 football pitches in size. Up to 2,000 people will work on the construction site. The main part of the facility will be around 140 meters high and flanked by around 60 buildings.
Background of the DR project
By awarding the contract to build a direct reduction plant with two melters to SMS group in spring 2023, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG not only awarded the largest single order in its history, but also started one of the largest industrial decarbonization projects in the world. In the summer of 2023, thyssenkrupp Steel received funding from the federal and state governments totaling around two billion euros for its tkH2Steel project. Thyssenkrupp Steel's own investments amount to almost one billion euros.
The tkH2Steel project will integrate a technologically new plant combination into the largest European steelworks, with which all subsequent process steps from the steelworks onwards can be maintained. The 100% hydrogen-capable direct reduction plant with two melters has a production capacity of 2.5 million tons of directly reduced iron per year.
The plant can be operated with natural gas in the transition and, as planned, with around 143,000 tons of hydrogen per year as early as 2029. The direct reduction system will then save up to 3.5 million tons of CO2 per year and thus makes an indispensable contribution to achieving the climate goals. Last but not least, the green transformation secures good jobs at the Duisburg location.
