Danieli Hydrogen DRI Tech For GravitHy
Industrial process equipment supplier Danieli announced the order of an ENERGIRON Zero reformer direct reduction (DR) plant in August 2026. The plant will have a production capacity for 2mtpy of hot briquetted iron (HBI).
The plant will be constructed at the industrial port area of Fos-sur-Mer, west of Marseille on France’s Mediterranean coast. The plant is expected to start operation by the end of 2030.
“Transforming the steel industry requires collaboration with key players,” said José Noldin, CEO of GravitHy.
“The selection of Danieli and their Energiron DRP technology marks an important step in the development of GravitHy. By securing a critical technology package for our future facility, we are reinforcing our ability to deliver low carbon iron at industrial scale and contribute to the industrial resilience, energy transition and decarbonization of the European steel value chain.”
However, it is worth noting that the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the GravitHy project is not expected before 2027.
GravitHy hydrogen-based HBI
The GravitHy project is noteworthy as the production process will consume low-carbon hydrogen as fuel for the ENERGIRON process. The low carbon hydrogen is expected to be produced onsite.
Danieli expects steel produced via the hydrogen-based ironmaking route to produce 90% fewer carbon emissions compared with steel produced via the traditional blast furnace steelmaking route. The elimination of the need for coke produced from coking coal accounts for much of the reduction in emissions.
The new plant will also feature electric process gas heating.
“We are proud to support GravitHy in the development of this landmark project and to contribute our expertise in direct reduction technologies to one of Europe’s most ambitious low-carbon industrial initiatives,” said Giacomo Mareschi Danieli, CEO of Danieli.
The HBI produced by GravitHy's new DRI plant will be suitable for use as feedstock in the production of crude steel. The HBI will have a low carbon content of 1% and a metallisation of up to 96%, which will make it suitable as a substitute for other metallics, such as scrap, in the electric arc route (EAF) steel melting process.
While advocates of hydrogen-based HBI production believe that it will help to support the emergence of a competitive, resilient and sovereign European low-carbon steel value chain, it is worth noting that low-carbon hydrogen remains significantly more expensive than hydrogen produced via conventional gas, and that low carbon steel will be significantly more expensive to produce than conventional steel until the input price differential narrows.
Meet the partners
ENERGIRON is the DRI technology jointly developed by Italian technology producer Tenova and technology supplier Danieli. ENERGIRON is a direct reduction process (DRP) that enables the production of reduced Iron (DRI or HBI) using a vertical shaft furnace. This technology is among the leading solutions implemented worldwide for low-environmental-impact DRI production, thanks to the use of natural gas and hydrogen.
Tenova is a developer and provider of sustainable solutions for the metals and mining industries. The Energiron Zero-reformer technology can be supplied with potential future integration with carbon capture solutions, while the design also incorporates pathways for future hydrogen use as a feedstock.