SSAB has temporarily suspended work in parts of the construction site for its new fossil-free steel plant in Lulea, Sweden, after personal gas detectors recorded low levels of hydrogen cyanide.
The company said the detected concentrations remained below applicable occupational exposure limits and no workers became ill. However, construction activities in the affected areas and adjacent groundworks have been suspended until further investigations are completed.
SSAB said it will expand its monitoring program together with external experts, including additional gas measurements and testing under production-like conditions using appropriate personal protective equipment.
The latest suspension follows an earlier work stoppage on 3 April, when several workers reported symptoms of illness. Following an extensive investigation involving soil, soil gas and air measurements, SSAB concluded that the symptoms were caused by a combination of dust, respiratory viruses and weather conditions rather than hazardous gases. Construction gradually resumed from 27 May.
The company said the newly detected hydrogen cyanide readings are being investigated separately and that further analysis will determine the cause.
Despite the temporary suspension, SSAB said it does not expect the pause to have any material impact on the overall schedule or budget for the Lulea transformation project.
The Lulea project is a key part of SSAB’s transition to fossil-free steel production, replacing the existing blast furnace with an electric arc furnace-based steelmaking process to significantly reduce carbon emissions.
SSAB is a producer of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel products, with an annual crude steel production capacity of approximately 8.8 mln tons across operations in Sweden, Finland, and the United States.
