SSAB has begun construction of its new steel mill in Lulea, marked by a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch, and SSAB CEO Johnny Sjostrom.
The project is a major step in SSAB’s transition to fossil-free steelmaking and is expected to cut Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions by 7pct, around 3 mln tons annually. Operations are planned to start by the end of 2029.
The new facility will replace blast furnace-based production and feature two electric arc furnaces, advanced secondary metallurgy, an integrated hot rolling mill, and a cold rolling complex with galvanization and annealing lines. The furnaces will continuously feed scrap, improving efficiency, reducing energy use, and limiting nitrogen oxide formation, while excess heat will be recovered for district heating.
SSAB highlighted that the integrated “mini-mill” concept is already proven in the US, where 75pct of steel production uses similar technology.
The Lulea mill will produce HR steel up to 25.4mm thick, 2,100mm wide, and up to 40 tons per coil, using fossil-free sponge iron and recycled scrap as raw materials.
