Hydrogen from a 6MW PEM electrolyser at the plant, named H2Future, will be processed by the new compressor units for storage and subsequent use, replacing fossil fuels in direct reduced iron (DRI) processes.

The new systems from Spanish technology firm Hiperbaric can compress hydrogen up to 500 bar and will come alongside a purification plant and five hydrogen storage tanks with a total capacity of one tonne.

This comes as part of a pre-announced expansion of the Linz facility in collaboration with Austrian energy firm Verbund.

The expansion, which has seen €16.4m ($19m) in investment from Voestalpine and Verbund, is aimed at accelerating the steelmaker’s 2050 net zero emissions targets.

The initial project also saw €12m ($13.9) in funding from the EU’s clean hydrogen partnership.

Andrés Hernando, CEO of Hiperbaric, said the new systems will be strategically important for the H2Future plant’s expansion.

In July 2024, Voestalpine incorporated its hydrogen-based steel into a bearing manufacturer’s product, and the following year laid the “world’s first” railway using the metal.

While green hydrogen presents a key pathway for decarbonising DRI processes, its widespread deployment remains constrained by high costs and the limited availability of green hydrogen.

Infrastructure, scaling, and process integration present further potential bottlenecks in its rollout for steelmaking.