Called GravitHy, the consortium said the project would produce 2 million tons of direct reduced iron (DRI) from hydrogen derived  on-site by way of renewably powered and low-carbon electrolysis. The output will either be used on‐site as a feedstock for green steel or sold on the open market as hot briquetted iron.

“There is considerable appetite to transform energy‐intensive industries in France, with the steel sector high on the agenda.

GravitHy will be a vital component in the French government’s proposed steel road map and its ambitions to cut CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030,” said GravitHy consortium leader Karine Vernier.

“It’s time to make a step‐change in technology, to replace old blast furnaces with DRI produced from green and low‐carbon hydrogen and combined with electric arc furnaces. Together, with our partners, we are committed to tackling this challenge by being an enabler of industrial value chains and clean tech innovation.”

The consortium said it hopes to begin construction in 2024 and have the plant fully operational by 2027.

Energy industry trade publication Recharge reported that the plan calls for the installation of roughly 650 MW of electrolyzer capacity, which would make it one of the largest in Europe when it comes on-line.

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