The Commission approved on 23 February 2024 a direct grant of EUR 1.3 billion to support steelmaker ArcelorMittal to decarbonise its operations in Germany. The project will involve the replacement of two of ArcelorMittal's three existing blast furnaces and two of its four existing oxygen furnaces.
The new installations are expected to be operational in 2026 and will initially operate on natural gas, but will ultimately be fuelled exclusively by renewable hydrogen. Once completed, the project is expected to avoid the release of more than 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its 16-year lifetime.
The project, named “DRIBE2,” was selected as part of the "IPCEI Hydrogen" (Important Projects of Common European Interest - H2) programme of Germany but has been assessed under the Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 (“CEEAG”).
ArcelorMittal has committed to actively share the experience and technical know-how gained through the project with industry and academia.
For more information, see the Press Release of the Commission.