Vale and Hydnum Steel have signed a memorandum of understanding to study building an iron ore briquette plant in Spain, which will be powered by hydrogen.

Hydnum Steel was recently one of the first steelmakers in Europe to operate with green energy to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. It is anticipated to produce, in its first year of production, 1.5 million metric tons of rolled steel in 2026, and is estimated to have an annual capacity of 2.6 million tons from 2030.

In December 2023, Vale operated its first briquette plant in Vitoria, Brazil. It is a major step in its strategy to decarbonize and expand its customer base.

According to Vale, the plant could reduce CO2 emissions in the steel industry by up to 10%. Rogerio Nogueira, Vale's director of product and business development, said that the combination of Vale's low-carbon briquette with Hydnum's green steel will support the goal of achieving zero emissions in the steelmaking process.