Germany-based steelmaker Thyssenkrupp Steel has announced that it has entered into an agreement with German plant builder TS Elino for the construction of a direct reduction test facility, including the associated auxiliary units, at Duisburg site. German research institution VdEh Institute for Applied Research (BFI) will be the client and operator of the direct reduction test facility.
The plant which will have an annual production capacity of 2.5 million mt of direct reduced iron is scheduled to start production in 2026, as SteelOrbis previously reported.
The project aims to advance research into the direct reduction of iron ore. The order volume for the direct reduction plant on a demonstration scale is worth around €10 million. Thyssenkrupp Steel and the VdEh Institute for Applied Research will be trialing the technological leap into hydrogen-based, carbon-neutral hot iron production at the plant.