South Korean steelmaker POSCO is planning to switch to hydrogen reduction technology at its Pohang and Gwangyang complexes by 2050, according to local media reports.
Accordingly, the company will start using the HyREX 1 method at its Pohang plant in 2033 to shift away from the conventional blast furnace method. By 2050, the abovementioned complexes will gradually be equipped with six hydrogen reduction steel production systems.
HyREX technology is a next-generation steelmaking technology that produces iron from iron oxide using hydrogen as a reduction agent.
As SteelOrbis reported previously, POSCO and UK-based Primetals Technologies had agreed to jointly design a hydrogen-reduced steelmaking pilot plant using HyREX, which is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2027.