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The Hybrit consortium has secured an extended temporary construction permit for its hydrogen storage pilot facility in Luleå, allowing operations until 2031. This facility, which started in 2022, supports fossil-free iron and steel production by storing hydrogen produced during low electricity price periods.

The underground chamber can store about 100 cubic meters of hydrogen, equating to 100 MWh of electricity. Hybrit aims to reduce production costs by 25-40% through this technology. The pilot facility has operated for approximately 5,700 hours since 2022 and has produced over 5,000 tons of hydrogen-based steel, utilized by companies such as Volvo and AWS. Despite high hydrogen production costs in Europe, the extended permit allows further testing and data collection for potential large-scale facilities.