Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel López has called for the construction of new hydrogen pipelines from southern Europe. Germany needs pipelines from countries such as Spain, Portugal and Morocco, López told the “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” (WAZ) according to a report published on 2 January. “We need pipelines from the west and south of Europe,” said the manager. “Otherwise it will hardly be possible to meet the huge demand for hydrogen in Germany.”
The supply of hydrogen is also necessary for the establishment of green steel production in Duisburg. The company needs a connection to the hydrogen core network that Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) is planning. “The hydrogen requirements of our new DRI plant are enormous,” López told the newspaper. DRI stands for direct reduced iron. Instead of coal and coke, the plant uses natural gas and later hydrogen to extract the oxygen from the iron ore. The sponge iron obtained is then melted down in a further step. In Duisburg, the plant will replace a traditional blast furnace.
López emphasised that the first green steel plant in Duisburg, which is already under construction, could also run on natural gas. However, if natural gas were to be used excessively instead of hydrogen, thyssenkrupp Steel would no longer be entitled to the entire state subsidy, but only a portion of the approximately two billion euros in subsidies. “There are quotas for the use of green hydrogen, to which parts of the state subsidy are linked. After all, one aim is to boost the hydrogen economy in Germany.”
Thyssenkrupp is looking for energy partners worldwide, López continued. The company is focussing on three regions in particular: the Iberian Peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula and the south of the USA. “We are exploring opportunities for partnerships in all three regions,” said López./tob/DP/stw
Photo of Thyssenkrupp: Miguel López is second from left
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