HYBRIT: Facts and milestones

The HYBRIT initiative was launched in 2016 by the three owners SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall.
The pilot plant for test production of sponge iron in Luleå became operational in August 2020.
In March 2021, Gällivare was chosen as the site of the planned demonstration plant for the production of fossil-free sponge iron on an industrial scale.
In May 2021, HYBRIT began construction of a pilot-scale hydrogen storage facility in connection with the pilot plant for direct reduction in Luleå. The storage facility was put into operation during the summer of 2022.
In June 2021, the world’s first pilot-scale production of hydrogen-reduced sponge iron was made.
In August 2021, SSAB produced and delivered the world’s first fossil-free steel made with HYBRIT technology to a customer.
In January 2022, SSAB’s Board of Directors made a policy decision to convert the entire Nordic production system to fossil-free iron ore and scrap-based steel production. Since then, SSAB has made investment decisions for the transition of the production facilities in Oxelösund and Luleå.
In May 2023, LKAB submitted an application for the environmental permit necessary to begin the planned transition in Gällivare, including the demonstration plant to be built on LKAB’s industrial site.
In August 2024, the HYBRIT initiative reported the results of six years of research to the Swedish Energy Agency, entering a new phase focused on the large-scale industrialisation of the technology.