Hydrogen demand arises where it is consumed, and Salzgitter AG plans to meet this demand starting in 2026. The Salzgitter site is expected to require up to 150,000 tons of hydrogen per year. The usage will occur as part of the first of three expansion stages of the Green Steel Program, Salcos®-Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking. Through this program, the steel manufacturer aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 95% by 2030.
Salzgitter AG plans to produce part of the required hydrogen in a company-owned 100-MW electrolysis plant on the factory premises starting in 2026. This plant is currently under construction, with an expected production volume of around 9,000 tons per year. External hydrogen supply is scheduled to begin in 2027, conditional upon connection to the hydrogen core network; “in individual cases,” other procurement routes may also be feasible. The company will also consider hydrogen deliveries starting after 2027 in the first tender.
Specific hydrogen deliveries with initial partners are already planned. For instance, at the end of April, Salzgitter announced a corresponding agreement with the gas trader Uniper. Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter, emphasized that the Salcos program could only be realized with a “timely connection” of the Salzgitter site to the hydrogen core network:
“With the state aid approval in place, we rely on a prompt application by the TSOs for the core network at the Federal Network Agency and expect a reliable timetable for the construction of the hydrogen core network, which must be resolutely pursued.”
