Published by:Davide Montagner<>
20 Jun 2025 @ 17:15 UTC

Swedish steelmaker SSAB is postponing the opening of its fossil-fuel-free mini-mill near the northern city of Luleå by a year, citing delays in the modernization of the national power grid that will supply electricity to the facility. The steel manufacturer said in a press release that technical challenges were causing the delay, with the inauguration of the new mill postponed from the end of 2028 to the end of 2029.
According to SSAB, Sweden’s national grid operator, Svenska kraftnät, encountered problems primarily related to outage planning when upgrading the current grid, extending construction times.
The delay will also affect the commissioning of a new grid station in Hällmyran, near Luleå, which will power the new steel mill, the company said.
The new opening date will have no effect, however, on the previously communicated investment framework, the steel manufacturer said. The total investment was said to be €4.5 billion ($5.2 billion).
Once completed, the new mill will have two electric-arc furnaces that will run on fossil-free direct-reduced iron and recycled scrap, replacing the blast furnace currently in use. According to SSAB, this will help Sweden to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 7 per cent.