In a statement, Ovako said that through the trial, which was carried out with industrial gas supplier Linde, it managed to heat steel in a pit furnace that burned hydrogen instead of liquefied petroleum gas.

“This is a major development for the steel industry. It is the first time that hydrogen has been used to heat steel in an existing production environment,” said Ovako executive vice president Göran Nyström. “Thanks to the trial, we know that hydrogen can be used simply and flexibly, with no impact on steel quality, which would mean a very large reduction in the carbon footprint.”