UK-based steelmaker British Steel has announced that it has secured funding from the UK government for a feasibility study into switching from natural gas to green hydrogen as a fuel source for re-heating furnaces.
If the study is successful, the company will undertake an industrial-scale demonstration, which could see the technology developed and rolled out across all its operations, including its main manufacturing base in Scunthorpe.
The Net Zero Innovation Portfolio funding from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides funding for low-carbon technologies and systems. The company, which is collaborating with EDF UK, University College London and the Materials Processing Institute, is undertaking a six-month study based on operations at its Teesside Beam Mill.
The company and its partners have pledged to deliver net-zero steel by 2050 and significantly reduce its carbon intensity by 2030 and 2035.