New electric arc furnace in SSAB Oxelösund

SSAB is replacing the blast furnaces in Oxelösund, Sweden with an electric arc furnace and associated raw material handling. The aim is for the new production system to be up and running towards the end of 2026. The Oxelösund mill is the first in the green transition of SSAB’s entire Nordic production system.

“The change in Oxelösund is great news not only for the environment but also for our customers. An electric arc furnace means we will be able to deliver large volumes of SSAB Zero™ to our main European markets with much shorter lead times than today. SSAB Zero™ is made using recycled steel and fossil-free energy – resulting in steel with virtually zero fossil carbon emissions,” explains Thomas Hörnfeldt, VP Sustainable Business at SSAB.
The huge demand from customers in various segments led SSAB to start making SSAB Zero back in 2023 at SSAB’s Iowa plant. However, having an electric arc furnace in Oxelösund will enable the company to offer a much wider product portfolio than we have to date, SSAB said. According to the company, the conversion of Oxelösund is proceeding according to plan and SSAB has obtained all the required permits and secured the availability of sufficient amounts of fossil-free electricity.
“We have customers in many market areas and various industries. One typical customer group consists of large, listed companies with clear sustainability targets and strategy. Other customers make it their niche to be at the very forefront of the green transition, doing everything as sustainably as possible. And some of our customers choose to label part of their product portfolio as low-emission products,” Hörnfeldt explains.
“Since we will be using mostly recycled steel scrap as the raw material in Oxelösund, we will also be able to offer our customers “closed loop” solutions, where we utilize scrap from our customers’ production as a raw material and deliver our high-quality steel back to the same customer again,” Hörnfeldt adds.
Source: SSAB