Masdar and EMSTEEL recently completed the first pilot project in the Middle East and North Africa to produce green hydrogen-based steel in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant step in utilising green hydrogen for steelmaking. The fully operational pilot project employs green hydrogen to extract iron from iron ore, an essential phase in steel production.

The green hydrogen produced has received certification from Avance Labs under the ISO 19870 methodology, and Bureau Veritas has validated the project, highlighting the UAE’s ambition to become a global leader in green steel production. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, stated that the project showcases world-class innovation stemming from their partnership with EMSTEEL, aimed at producing green steel with green hydrogen. He further noted that decarbonising hard-to-abate industries is critical to achieving the goals established under the historic UAE Consensus at COP28.

EMSTEEL, the UAE’s largest publicly listed steelmaker, reported that over 80% of its energy sources in 2023 were clean. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Group CEO of EMSTEEL, commented that their partnership with Masdar would significantly contribute to the ongoing decarbonisation efforts within the steel industry, a sector known for its challenging emissions profile. He added that the company’s operations currently achieve a carbon intensity 45% lower than the global average.

The pilot aligns with Abu Dhabi’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Policy and the UAE National Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to establish the UAE as a top producer of low-carbon hydrogen by 2031. Since its founding in 2006, Masdar has developed projects in over 40 countries, with plans to expand its renewable energy capacity to 100 GW by 2030 and to produce 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen or derivatives annually within the next decade.