UAE companies plan to test Green Hydrogen as power source for steel production

The United Arab Emirates’ biggest renewable energy company and top steel producer will partner in a pilot project to produce the metal using green hydrogen as a power source.

Masdar and Emirates Steel Arkan plan to start the test project in 2024, according to a statement. The project will extract iron from iron ore in the steel-making process using green hydrogen instead of natural gas.

Green hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources like wind or solar power. The companies are installing electrolyzers, a key component in making hydrogen, at Emirates Steel Arkan’s facilities in Abu Dhabi, according to the statement. Steel-making produces about 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the statement.

The UAE was the first Middle Eastern oil producer to declare a net zero target. The country’s role as host of the world’s most important annual climate conference, the COP28, which starts later this month, has been criticized by environmentalists because oil remains central to its economy. It is also putting in large investments to boost output capacity further.