Towards defossilised steel: Supply chain options for a green European steel industry

As the European Union intensifies its response to the climate emergency, increased focus has been placed on the hard-to-abate energy-intensive industries. Primary among these is the steel industry, a cornerstone of the European economy and industry. With the emergence of new hydrogen-based steelmaking options, particularly through hydrogen direct reduction, the structure of global steel production and supply chains will transition from being based on low-cost coal resources to that based on low-cost electricity and therefore hydrogen production. This study examines the techno-economic options for three European countries of Germany, Spain, and Finland under five different steel supply chain configurations compared to local production. Results suggest that the high costs of hydrogen transportation make a European steelmaking supply chain cost competitive to steel produced with imported hydrogen, with local production costs ranging from 465 to 545 €/t of crude steel (CS) and 380–494 €/t_CS for 2030 and 2040, respectively. Conversely, imports of hot briquetted iron and crude steel from Morocco become economically competitive with European supply chains. Given the capital and energy intensive nature of the steel industry, critical investment decisions are required in this decade, and this research serves to provide a deeper understanding of supply chain options for Europe.