Elcogen has launched the Horizon Europe SYRIUS project with Acciai Speciali Terni Spa.
The SYRIUS project aims to transform the steel industry by enabling hydrogen production and circular energy use within the steelmaking process. Backed by a €10M grant and a timeline of less than five years, the project seeks to make a significant impact. At its core, SYRIUS will demonstrate the integration of a 4.2 MWel Solid Oxide Electrolyser (SOEC) into a real Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) plant, paving the way for more sustainable steel production.
Reducing its environmental footprint remains a monumental challenge, demanding the adoption of new technologies, enhanced energy efficiency, and more circular energy systems.
The SOEC will produce 100 kg/h of green hydrogen, which will help power a fuel-flexible 280-ton steel/h, 84 MWth slab reheating furnace. SYRIUS will place industrial circularity at its heart by harnessing furnace off-gas heat recovery to generate steam for the SOEC, recovering by-product oxygen in the furnace, and exploring water recycling options. The project is expected to cut CO2 emissions from the steel reheating process by 5,600 tonnes per year.