After the successful coompletion of the pilot project at its Jamshedpur plant in Jharkhand, Tata Steel plans to expand the use of hydrogen in the steel-making process, according to the company’s CEO and MD T V Narendran. The first trial of its kind was started by Tata Steel in April 2023 at its steel factory in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, by injecting hydrogen gas using 40% of the injection systems in the E-blast furnace.
“It was very successful, we will scale it up, but eventually we need to have green hydrogen available in Eastern India that will determine how it can be used,” commented Narendran. Hydrogen injection into blast furnaces aids in reducing coal consumption, which lowers carbon footprint. Narendran further added, “This is the first time in the world that such a large quantity of hydrogen gas is being continuously injected in a blast furnace”.
Tata Steel Netherlands will soon become one of the country’s largest consumers of hydrogen, according to Narendran. The industry there is transitioning from coal to gas to hydrogen, and the change is significant for that nation. As reported by ETEnergyworld.com, since it serves as both an energy source and an emission reducer throughout the steel-making process, hydrogen, like coal, is a key component of the solution for the steel industry’s transition to a more environmentally friendly future.
