Both electric-arc furnace (EAF) and blast-furnace (BF) dependent companies are making significant investments in green technologies, whether it is through retrofitting aging plants with carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology or investing in clean energy power sources to minimize emissions.
This push comes as steel manufacturers are under pressure from downstream consumers, such as the automotive sector, to lower carbon emissions. The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) is a multistate coalition of public and private organizations that has been granted up to $1 billion in funding by the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in order to establish a regional clean-hydrogen hub in the Midwest. Integrated producer Cleveland-Cliffs announced its membership in MachH2 on Friday, October 13.
The Cleveland, Ohio-based steelmaker stated in a press release that "MachH2 is expected to generate numerous sources of clean hydrogen production across the US Midwest, including in Northwest Indiana near Cleveland-Cliffs’ two largest steel plants, Indiana Harbor and Burns Harbor." The company is currently building a pipeline to bring hydrogen from the fence to Indiana Harbor BF No.7, the company's largest BF.