HBIS Group, steel manufacturer based in Hebei province, is advancing its green transformation by harnessing hydrogen energy, a move its chairman, Yu Yong, described as groundbreaking for the steel industry as per reports by China Daily.
“Hydrogen energy is hailed as the ultimate energy source in the 21st century, and replacing carbon with hydrogen can fundamentally eliminate the absolute dependence on fossil fuel energy in steel production at the source,” said Yu Yong, chairman of HBIS Group.
HBIS has prioritized innovation in low-carbon metallurgical technology, achieving a milestone on December 16 with the launch of the world’s first hydrogen metallurgy continuous casting production line for automotive sheet steel.
Located at Zhangxuan High Technology Co Ltd in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, the line has an annual capacity of 1.5 million metric tons, focusing on steel for automotive panels and structural supports.
This achievement builds on earlier advancements. Two years ago, HBIS launched the first phase of a 1.2 million-ton hydrogen metallurgy demonstration project, and in March 2024, the company began the country’s first hydrogen-based shaft furnace project, a near-zero carbon emission electric furnace.
The new automotive sheet production line, just four kilometers from the hydrogen metallurgy line, creates an integrated hydrogen-based production chain. Direct reduced iron (DRI) from the shaft furnace is combined with scrap steel and processed in the near-zero carbon emissions electric furnace, resulting in high-quality automotive sheet steel.
“From DRI and special materials to automotive sheet steel billets, the hydrogen metallurgy chain has continued to grow,” Lyu Yanwei, deputy general manager of a special steel branch under Zhangxuan High Technology, was quoted as saying by Hebei Daily.
China’s dual carbon goals—peaking emissions by 2030 and achieving neutrality by 2060—are driving the steel industry’s shift to reduce emissions.
To build a green and low-carbon supply chain, HBIS has partnered with major automakers, including BMW and Hebei-based Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.
“Green steel will not be difficult to sell,” Lyu said, adding that HBIS is vigorously promoting a series of green processes such as hydrogen metallurgy electric furnaces, with plans to have a production capacity of 7.41 million tons of low-carbon emission products by 2026.