JFE Steel has successfully produced DRI using green hydrogen at its East Japan Works in Chiba, marking the first such trial in Japan as part of efforts to develop low-carbon direct hydrogen reduction technology.
The trial, conducted from June 29 to July 1, produced around 1 ton of DRI at a small-scale direct reduction pilot plant with a production capacity of 15 kg per hour. Hydrogen reduction trials at the facility have been underway since December 2024.
The green hydrogen was produced using renewable energy at a facility in Yamanashi Prefecture and transported to JFE Steel’s Chiba plant. The trial confirmed that iron ore could be stably reduced using green hydrogen.
The development is part of a NEDO Green Innovation Fund project involving JFE Steel, Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel and the Japan Research and Development Center for Metals (JRCM) through the GREINS hydrogen steelmaking consortium. The project is developing direct hydrogen reduction technology aimed at processing lower-grade iron ore using hydrogen while significantly reducing CO2 emissions.
JFE Steel said it will continue developing direct hydrogen reduction technology alongside other low-carbon steelmaking technologies, including carbon-recycling blast furnaces. The company aims to establish technologies required for carbon-neutral steelmaking by around 2035, with a longer-term target of carbon neutrality by 2050.
JFE Steel Corporation is a major steel producer formed in 2002 by the merger of NKK and Kawasaki Steel. As the core steelmaking arm of JFE Holdings, it manufactures a wide range of high-value-added steel products and operates integrated steel plants across Japan, while maintaining a significant footprint in India, China, and North America.