LKAB wants to buy land in Porjus for hydrogen plant

The mining company has held meetings with representatives of the municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare, and a dialogue meeting with Porjus residents.

"There are many factors involved in a decision like this. We have great respect for the interests and land use in the area and therefore we want to make it clear that the work will be done in dialogue with local residents and other stakeholders," says Monika Sammelin, area manager at LKAB Malmberget, in a press release.

LKAB needs to produce hydrogen as part of the Hybrit project, where it will produce iron sponge in Vitåfors without fossil fuels. Porjus is one of the sites being investigated as a possible location for hydrogen production. Where it will end up is far from clear.

To make Porjus a possible option, an application has been made to the Swedish Property Agency to buy 250 hectares of land on the outskirts of Porjus. Porjus has plenty of space, the Lule River, hydroelectric power plants and existing power lines, which are clear advantages for a location here. The disadvantage is that it is 50 kilometers to Hybrits' future plant in Vitåfors. Where, on the other hand, space is at a premium.

It was in Porjus that the first power plant in the Lule River was built in the early 1900s. Now there are a large number of run-of-river power plants in the river, which is one of the major electricity producers in Sweden with a total output of over 17 terawatt hours.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com