Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy leader, and EMSTEEL, the country’s largest publicly listed steel and building materials company, have completed a pioneering pilot project using green hydrogen to produce green steel. Located in Abu Dhabi, this first-of-its-kind project for the Middle East and North Africa extracts iron from iron ore with green hydrogen, marking a significant step toward sustainable steelmaking.
The renewable hydrogen produced has been certified by Avance Labs, in compliance with ISO 19870, and validated by Bureau Veritas. This initiative aligns with the UAE’s ambition to become a major green steel hub, supported by the National Green Certificates Program launched in July 2024.
Masdar and EMSTEEL’s partnership showcases green hydrogen’s role in decarbonizing the steel industry and exemplifies UAE’s commitment to accelerating the energy transition. EMSTEEL’s CEO, Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, highlighted the company’s 80pct reliance on clean energy in 2023 and its 45pct lower carbon intensity than the global average, emphasizing the importance of their continued efforts to achieve the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 goals.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, EMSTEEL has a production capacity of 3.5 mln tons of steel and 4.6 mln tons of cement annually. The group exports to over 70 markets, accounting for 30pct of its sales. The company offers a diverse range of steel products, including wire rod, rebar, heavy sections, and sheet piles.
