Google Teams with Stegra on World's First Near-Zero Emissions Steel Plant

Google is partnering with Stegra to bring online the world's first large-scale, near-zero emissions steel plant. The plant in Boden, Sweden, will use renewable electricity to generate green hydrogen, which is then reacted with iron ore to produce iron.

The traditional steel manufacturing process relies on coal, which can cut emissions by up to 95% compared to blast furnace manufacturing, according to Stegra's estimates.

As part of the agreement, Google will receive environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from a portion of the steel produced in the first year, estimated at up to 91,000 metric tons. EACs are purchased by companies to drive demand for sustainably produced materials and help scale these early-stage technologies.

Google hopes that this partnership will bring more green building materials to market and incorporate them into its own operations, potentially reducing embodied carbon emissions from data center infrastructure by up to 40%.