Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine has announced that construction of its Hy4Smelt demonstration plant, which will research steel production with net-zero carbon emissions using hydrogen-based direct reduction and electric smelting, is progressing according to schedule.
Since construction started in September 2025, work has included the construction of a smelter hall, a grinding and drying plant and the foundation for the HYFOR tower, as well as an approximately one-kilometer hydrogen pipeline connecting the facility with the neighboring H2-Future plant, which will supply the hydrogen required for direct reduction. Starting in the fall of this year, key equipment, including the smelter furnace and HYFOR reactors, will be delivered. In the HYFOR reactors, ultrafine iron ore will be reduced to sponge iron using hydrogen and fluidized-bed technology.
Research operations scheduled to begin in November 2027
The demonstration plant is scheduled to be completed in 2027, with research operations expected to begin in November of the same year and continue for three years. According to Voestalpine, the project will simulate continuous operations to gain experience in hydrogen-based steelmaking and provide expertise for the future construction and operation of an industrial-scale facility. Hy4Smelt forms part of Voestalpine's greentec steel transformation program and supports the company's target of producing steel with net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The project is being carried out jointly with plant technology supplier Primetals Technologies and global miner Rio Tinto. Primetals Technologies is responsible for developing and implementing the plant technologies, while Rio Tinto is providing technical expertise and approximately 70 percent of the iron ore required by the Hy4Smelt facility.
