Swedish power company Vattenfall has announced that it has signed an agreement with Swedish specialty steel producer SSAB for the delivery of 120 mt of fossil-free steel to construct the world’s first carbon-free dam gate.
The gate will be installed at Vattenfall’s Stornorrfors hydropower station in northern Sweden in 2028, marking a major milestone in industrial decarbonization.
Hydropower dam built with fossil-free steel
The Stornorrfors hydropower station, located on the Ume River, is Sweden’s largest hydropower facility, operating since 1958 with an installed capacity of 603 MW and four turbines.
The new fossil-free dam gate will be produced using sponge iron made at SSAB’s Hybrit pilot plant in Luleå, where hydrogen replaces coal in the iron reduction process, virtually eliminating carbon emissions from steel production. This technology enables a climate footprint reduction of approximately 200 mt of carbon dioxide, compared to using traditional blast furnace steel.
The order is part of Vattenfall’s fossil-free transition strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.