One of the World’s Largest Hydrogen Plants Planned in Boden

This large-scale investment is not only a catalyst for local and regional transformation but will also generate significant export value for Sweden. It is a symbolic turning point, showing the way forward for global industry and marking the start of a new industrial era.

The steel industry accounts for 8–10 percent of global CO₂ emissions and 25 percent of European industrial emissions. In total, the European steel sector emits more CO₂ than all the Nordic countries combined—more than all flights departing from Europe.

H2 Green Steel’s ambition is to transform one of the world’s dirtiest industries with a technology that reduces CO₂ emissions by as much as 95 percent. The solution is to replace coal with renewable energy in the production process. Instead of traditional blast furnaces, the plant will use direct reduction—a technology that has existed for over fifty years in areas with low-cost natural gas—but here, fossil natural gas will be replaced by green hydrogen.

Largest and First of Its Kind

The scale of the project is staggering:

• The plant in Boden will be the first large-scale green steel plant in the world, with an investment of around SEK 50 billion.
• The planned hydrogen output could fill the Ericsson Globe arena every five hours.
• The industrial site for the steel and hydrogen plants covers an area equal to more than 1,000 standard football fields—larger than the island of Kungsholmen in central Stockholm.
• The total facility for the entire steel and hydrogen process will be about 2 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide.
• Production capacity will be 2.5 million tonnes of high-quality steel in the first phase, starting in 2025 and ramping up in 2026, and 5 million tonnes by 2030, with around 2,000 employees.

“The electrolyser will be one of the largest in the world at that time, in the range of 700–800 MW, compared with the largest today, which are around 20 MW,” explains Marita Nilsson, Technology Lead Electrolyzer Systems at H2 Green Steel.

Marita works on technical analysis, requirement setting, and research strategy for electrolyser systems. She describes hydrogen as a “Swiss army knife”—extremely versatile but not always the best tool for every situation.

“We will use hydrogen where it is the most cost-effective solution and where no other solutions exist today, such as in the steel industry. We want H2 Green Steel to be the first company in a new industry, and we’re doing it here in Boden. Then we can take that knowledge to the world, using Boden as a model,” she says.

Unique Conditions in Boden

The location was chosen because the region offers unique conditions for green steel production: access to renewable energy, high-quality iron ore, a major port in Luleå, and a cluster of world-leading expertise in metallurgy and steel production. The industrial land—carefully planned by Boden Municipality for power-intensive, circular industries—also offers proximity to infrastructure and sufficient grid capacity, meeting H2 Green Steel’s needs.

A New Kind of Industry

The new steel plant will differ not only environmentally but also in design and function. Every part of the site—from production buildings to green corridors for wildlife and people—is carefully planned to blend into the surroundings. Building from the ground up also makes it possible to integrate the latest technological solutions from the start.

“This is a fantastic journey to be part of—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will make a real impact. And it’s happening now—not maybe, not in some distant future, but right now. What we are doing is truly unique, showing that it’s possible, and it will make a difference,” says Marita Nilsson.

Did You Know?

• The EU has identified renewable hydrogen development as crucial to achieving the climate target of cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
• EU member states are to be fully climate-neutral by 2050.
• Green hydrogen is seen as a key factor in global climate action, with Boden positioned as a future hub in a northern hydrogen network.
• Green hydrogen is expected to generate both social benefits and business opportunities.

Hydrogen Event

Earlier this spring, a Bodenxt Talks event was held focusing on hydrogen’s future potential. Marita Nilsson was one of the speakers. Watch a summary of the day here: