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Iron and steel
Iron and steel
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What it would take to unlock the next phase of hydrogen growth
Can hydrogen scale up successfully Global hydrogen demand reached 100 Mt in 2024, mainly from refineries, the production of chemicals and the iron and steel sector. Demand grew by almost 2% from 2023, in line with overall energy demand growth. This consumption was almost completely met with hydrogen produced from unabated fossil fuels, using 290 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 90 million tonnes of coal equivalent. However, alternative technologies that can produce low-emissions hydrogen have attracted a lot of interest from governments given their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy supply, particularly in countries that have a…
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Breakthrough Agenda Report 2025 Steel
…years to get on track with the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE Scenario). Cost Blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) routes make up about 70% of global steel production today.Hydrogen direct reduced iron electric arc furnace (H2 DRI-EAF) routes are emerging as a preferred low-emissions option in certain regions. Early commercial plants using 100% hydrogen blends are estimated to cost 50-140% more than BF-BOF plants today, varying based on region, which is slowing deployment. Deployment Capacity for near-zero emissions iron by 2030 remains unchanged from 2024, at about 10 Mt…
- Executive summary
- Power
- Hydrogen
- Road transport
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+ 4 pages
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies Case 3. Saudi Arabia’s first green full-process heavy plate mill project
…the facility, which will be Saudi Arabia’s first full process steel plate production plant, will be located in Ras al-Khair Industrial City and is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2026. With an annual capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes, the plant will supply domestic industries and export to the wider Gulf and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.A key feature of the project is its low-carbon production route. The plant will use a natural gas-based direct reduced iron (DRI) furnace and an electric arc furnace (EAF), targeting up to…
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Demand and Supply Measures for the Steel and Cement Transition Executive summary
…needed: announced capacity for near-zero emissions iron-based steel production and cement production by 2030 amounts to only about 10 Mt and 35 Mt, respectively, equivalent to 10% of that required in the same year on a pathway to net zero emissions by mid-century. On the demand-side, some material-consuming companies – like auto manufacturers and construction companies – are already committed to procure near-zero emissions products, indicating a willingness from some buyers to pay a price premium. The quantities are so far quite small – offtake agreements for near-zero emissions steel for which quantities are publicly disclosed account for…
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Coal Mid-Year Update 2025 Overview
…4.4% in 2022 and 2.3% in 2023. Despite slowing demand growth on an annual basis, the cumulative increase since 2020 amounts to more than 16%.Coal use for power generation, the main driver of global coal demand, reached its highest recorded level at 10 766 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024. Demand for metallurgical coal for iron and steel production, the largest source of non-power-related coal consumption, has been more stable. In 2024, metallurgical coal use decreased by 0.8%.China plays a unique role in global coal markets. It accounts for 56% of global coal consumption – almost…
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Global Hydrogen Review 2025 Demand
Highlights Global hydrogen demand reached almost 100 Mt in 2024 and is expected to surpass that milestone in 2025. This increase is being driven by demand for industrial products that use hydrogen as a feedstock, rather than being the result of successful implementation of energy and climate policies.Demand is still almost exclusively from established sectors (refining, ammonia, methanol and fossil-based direct reduced iron [DRI]), with demand for new applications (biofuels upgrading, new industrial uses, mobility, power or synthetic fuels) growing but from a very low base – less than 1% of demand.Low-emissions hydrogen use increased by nearly 10…
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Breakthrough Agenda Report 2025 Executive summary
…hydrogen, road transport, steel, cement and concrete, buildings and agriculture. Through a collaborative process, participants are working to make clean technologies and sustainable solutions the most affordable, accessible and attractive option in each sector by 2030.This year’s report takes a step back to define how success should be measured and shows what positive collaboration looks like in practice. A special focus on international collaboration in the fertiliser sector builds on previous efforts under the Agriculture Breakthrough, and is accompanied by chapters that dive deeper into areas where collaboration can be strengthened on iron and steel, trucks, electricity grids…
- Executive summary
- Power
- Hydrogen
- Road transport
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+ 4 pages
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Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2026 Energy outlook to 2050 based on today’s policy settings
…but electrification and efficiency moderate growth in the STEPS. Total final consumption grows rapidly to 2035, by an annual average of 2.5% to 2035 in the STEPS. Industry remains the largest end-use sector, supported by expanding manufacturing and energy-intensive production. To 2035, Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing regions for aluminium iron and steel production, with output rising by 70%. This reinforces demand for electricity, coal and natural gas, while the young age of industrial assets limits near-term opportunities for fuel switching. In transport, electric vehicles and biofuels curb oil demand growth…
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Global Energy Review 2025 Coal
…plus increases in nuclear, biomass and gas power generation – there was still a gap between the additional electricity demand and supply. Coal generation filled this gap, increasing by 1.2%. Coal consumption in China’s iron and steel sector – larger than total coal consumption in any country except India – shrank by around 2%, as steel production declined by 1.7%. Cement production declined by around 9.5%, and we estimate a similar decline in the sector’s coal consumption. However, strong growth in coal used for chemicals and other products partially offset the wider drop in non-power coal consumption…
- Key findings
- Global trends
- Oil
- Natural gas
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+ 3 pages
