VNG AG and Salzgitter AG are to join forces to investigate the options for supplying H₂ and the resulting carbon footprint for producing steel in Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH’s steelworks in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony. To this end, Gunnar Groebler, Salzgitter AG’s Chief Executive Officer, and Hans-Joachim Polk, VNG’s Executive Board member for Infrastructure & Technical Affairs, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Salzgitter.

The aim of the cooperation is to complete a study on supplying H₂ to the Salzgitter production site. The analysis will include electrolyzer options and a supply of non-pipeline H₂ derivatives such as ammonia or methanol (e.g., via rail) that can be used as sources of energy for partial supply during a transition phase. The focus is also on the long-term connection already planned to a supraregional H₂ grid for transporting H₂ on a large scale from various production regions and projects to the location.

In the joint feasibility study, Salzgitter and VNG are continuing their successful collaboration and defining the specifics on the topic of H₂. In the summer of 2020, both companies announced cooperation in the field of green gas. At this point in time a MoU was signed under which two feasibility studies on the climate-compatible supply of H₂ and on transporting H₂ have already been conducted.

“Developing the H₂ economy is an essential precondition for reducing carbon emissions in industry. We are therefore delighted to be continuing our trust-based collaboration with Salzgitter in the context of this joint analysis with a view to mapping the path toward a climate-compatible supply of H₂ to the steelworks at the Salzgitter location,” said Hans-Joachim Polk emphasized.

Gunnar Groebler said, “Supplying the steelworks with H₂ is one of the crucial elements of our SALCOS transformation program. Having conducted an in-depth investigation on the topic in the context of a study conducted together with our partners from the Salzgitter H₂ Campus Salzgitter, I am looking forward to the further realization, in cooperation with VNG.”