“The goal is to install one electrolyser per week,” said Piyush Mishra, Construction Manager at the site.
The first steel was raised in late 2024, and just six months later, all four of the massive electrolyser buildings are nearing completion and the first process equipment has been installed.
The 20 MW electrolysers from thyssenkrupp nucera are an impressive sight, each measuring 40 m long and 9 m high. Using alkaline water electrolysis, they will split water into hydrogen and oxygen using 100% renewable electricity, producing more than 100 000 tpy of green hydrogen.
The green hydrogen will then be used to purify iron ore in the green iron plant. In a direct reduction process, the green hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the iron ore, producing green iron that is then used to make green steel. The main by-product is water, rather than the large amounts of CO2 emitted in traditional ironmaking processes.
After looking at several technology options, Stegra chose alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) due to its robustness, maturity, and reliability.
Why alkaline water electrolysis?
“We needed something that could reliably deliver over 700 MW, and alkaline water electrolysis was the best solution. While some technologies offer more flexibility, we needed something that could deliver a reliable supply 24 hours a day,” commented Hedvig Paradis, Global Head of Hydrogen Technology at Stegra.
More milestones to come
The green hydrogen facility is currently dominated by the four electrolyser buildings that will form its beating heart. Over the course of 2025, they will be joined by additional structures that will contain, among other things, an electrical substation, purifiers, and compressors.
“We are preparing our compressor foundation, to receive the first out of five compressors expected in July,” added Piyush Mishra. “In parallel, we are working on the utilities area.”
A phased ramp-up
Stegra’s first steel production lines will go live in 2026 using recycled steel scrap as raw material, with green hydrogen-based iron and steelmaking beginning shortly thereafter and a full-scale ramp in 2027. By 2028, the company aims to reach steady-state operations across the green hydrogen, green iron, and green steel plants.