According to the company, Priority Project designation will grant the project preferential status in administrative processing and speed up the government approvals process. Priority status also provides the startup with economic and financial incentives and signals regional support for the mill’s construction, Hydnum said.
 
Hydnum Steel revealed plans to build one of Europe’s first green steel mills in Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Spain, last year. The plant will use green hydrogen to produce direct reduced iron (DRI), which will charge a scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) powered by renewable energy sources. Once operational, the mill will be capable of producing 1.5 million metric tons of zero-emission steel annually. The company intends to eventually increase that total to 2.6 million metric tons.
 
“Our project will lead, not only to the decarbonization of the steel industry, demonstrating that it is viable and profitable to produce green steel, but will also be a great driver for economic activity and employment, attracting auxiliary companies and promoting the service sector and infrastructure development,” commented Hydnum Steel chief executive Eva Maneiro. “Its declaration as a ‘Priority Project’ is great news, encouraging us to continue transforming the socioeconomic reality of Puertollano and Castile-La Mancha.”
 
Construction is slated to begin next year.
 
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