ENERGIRON® for Experimental DRI Plant in Japan

Nippon Steel Corporation will leverage ENERGIRON® technology for pioneering experimental operations for reduced iron with hydrogen

Tenova recently secured a contract for an Experimental Direct Reduction Plant (EDRP) operated by Nippon Steel Corporation, Japan's largest steelmaker and a global leader in steel production. This project is entrusted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The plant will be installed in the Nippon Steel Corporation’s Hasaki R&D Center.

The primary objective of this facility is to conduct a demonstration test for the "Development of Direct Hydrogen Reduction Technology for Reducing Low-Grade Iron Ore with Hydrogen Alone / Development of Technology for Direct Hydrogen Reduction." This initiative, adopted by NEDO's Green Innovation Fund in December 2021, is a collaborative effort involving Nippon Steel Corporation, JFE Steel Corporation, and the Japan Research and Development Center for Metals.

Thanks to the ENERGIRON® Direct Reduction (DR) technology, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli, the DR plant will use hydrogen as a reducing gas. However, it will be capable of incorporating different gases in varying combinations or proportions. To facilitate this flexibility, the plant will be equipped with Tenova's CO2 capture equipment, which effectively mitigates overall CO2 emissions, especially when the plant operates using gas mixtures containing carbon.