PVTIME – Thyssenkrupp Steel is pressing ahead with its low-carbon steel programme, tkH2Steel, and will launch a new tender to secure a long-term supply of hydrogen for the direct reduction facility in Duisburg. The procurement process can now proceed, having received formal approval under European Union state aid rules for the adjusted public funding terms.
The tkH2Steel project will replace coal-powered blast furnace capacity with hydrogen-capable direct reduction technology to deliver significant reductions in emissions from conventional steel manufacturing. The site is scheduled to begin operating using hydrogen in 2028 and to be fully hydrogen-powered by 2029. Once operational, the facility will establish Thyssenkrupp as one of Europe’s largest industrial consumers of clean hydrogen. Findings from the company’s earlier hydrogen tender process will inform the structure of this new bidding exercise.
The tender is designed to secure a consistent fuel supply for the operational phase of the asset. This large, predictable offtake profile is expected to send clear market signals to hydrogen producers, infrastructure investors, and suppliers across the European supply chain. The successful delivery of the wider project depends on construction progress and the ability to source adequate volumes of low-carbon hydrogen on commercially sustainable, long-term contracts.
The decarbonisation of heavy industry, including steel production, depends heavily on the expansion of clean hydrogen capacity. The tkH2Steel scheme is one of Germany’s most prominent industrial transition projects and illustrates how revised state support frameworks can unlock major procurement activity for zero-carbon fuels. Thyssenkrupp Steel has not yet disclosed a firm launch date for the tender.
