Swedish energy company Vattenfall has ordered 120 tons of fossil-free steel from SSAB AB to build a new dam gate for the 603MW Stornorrfors hydropower station. Installation is planned for 2028.
The steel will be produced using fossil-free sponge iron from the HYBRIT demonstration plant in Luleå – a joint venture between Vattenfall, SSAB, and LKAB. The HYBRIT process replaces coal with renewable electricity and hydrogen in ironmaking, eliminating nearly all fossil carbon dioxide emissions.
The new gate will be 21m wide and 11m high, making it the largest steel component produced to date with near-zero emissions from iron production. The replacement is part of scheduled maintenance at Stornorrfors.
Vattenfall’s initiative supports its target to reach net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040 while extending the operating life of its hydropower assets for the next century.
Located on the Ume älv river, the Stornorrfors power plant was commissioned in 1958 and operates with four turbines. Over the past two decades, Vattenfall has carried out extensive safety and environmental upgrades at the facility and its associated dams, including spillway improvements, erosion protection, and reinforcements to withstand 10,000-year flood events. The company has also invested in fish protection measures, such as a 300m fish ladder and a nearby fish-breeding facility in Norrfors, which releases tens of thousands of salmon, sea trout, and grayling each year to support local ecosystems.
