Accelerating the Decarbonisation of Heavy Industry with Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren | Conversations in Cleantech | Season four, Episode four

Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren and the H2 Green Steel team are on a mission to accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors using hydrogen. First on the list - the steel sector. The steel industry accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions primarily from the blast furnace. However, using green hydrogen to kickstart the reaction is an alternative way to produce steel that results in no emissions throughout the entire process. Having proven the concept in a pilot set-up, H2 Green Steel are in the process of building its first large-scale plant. 

In Kajsa’s role as Head of Business Unit Hydrogen, she is responsible for the global growth initiatives of their large-scale projects. Combining her background in metals and heavy industry with her passion for creating sustainable business and hydrogen, Kajsa is helping H2 Green Steel in their mission to be accelerators within the energy transition space. 

Read on to hear about Kajsa’s journey and what continues to drive her on her mission. If you would like to listen to the full podcast, click here. 

Please could you give us an introduction to your background? 

I have a passion for horseriding and I actually competed professionally in Germany at the very start of my career. I think this experience contributed to my goal orientation and made me very competitive. It also taught me that to become the best you can be, you have to work and train with people who are better than you. I believe this is one of the reasons I have ended up where I am today. 

My background was originally in natural sciences and chemistry before I entered the business side and I think this is why I was attracted to heavy industry early on. I started in the aluminium industry at Sapa which today is Norsk Hydro. After this, I led a fuel division at Sandvik working on components for fuel cell stacks. Here is where I was first exposed to the hydrogen world.

This was around 10 years ago and the main focus of the industry was on the automotive side. Back then we were a few believers among a lot of haters. A few years later I was working as Head of Innovation at Yara International, a big fertiliser organisation, and it was here I learnt that hydrogen can be the key to transforming heavy industry. From this point, my passion for hydrogen grew. 

I was then contacted by our CEO here at H2 Green Steel, Henrik Henricksson and my current role really is a dream come true. The role combines my background in metals with hydrogen and also my passion for sustainable business and how this can play its part in changing the world for the better. I truly believe that industry has a fundamental role to play in the fight against climate change - we cannot just rely on politicians or NGOs. It is industry and the financial sector that really need to step up and make this happen. I feel at H2 Green Style I can be part of driving that from within. 

How is H2 Green Steel approaching decarbonising the hard-to-abate industry of steel?

We see ourselves not as a disruptor but as an accelerator, we want to help the steel industry to transition. Our purpose is not to be just another steel company. Our purpose is to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and we are starting with steel. 

Most people ask, why steel first?

It is important to understand that we are not using hydrogen as a fuel or an energy carrier. For us, hydrogen is a molecule that we need to basically kick start a reaction. To understand H2 Green Steel, I think you need insight into the steel value chain today, in particular the upstream part. 

The steel industry today is centred around the blast furnace. To make steel, you need to take iron ore from a mine and remove the oxygen. You take your iron ore to a blast furnace and you mix it with coking coal. Once you heat this, the oxygen from the iron ore and the carbon from the coal is released and these come together to create carbon dioxide which is a byproduct. The steel industry accounts for about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. This is really problematic and we need to find a solution for the blast furnace and coal. 

Many of the big steel mills today are located where you have good access to coal and/or natural gas. Instead of using a blast furnace, you can use a direct reduction reactor where natural gas is used to remove oxygen from iron ore.

However, you can replace natural gas with pure hydrogen and it does the same job. Now if the hydrogen used is green, then you don’t have any emissions - that is what we are trying to do! The technology has been proven in a pilot set-up. We are now in the process of building a large-scale plant that can truly have an impact on the steel sector. We have to address the 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions that come from the steel sector and we are taking the first step towards this. 

What motivates you?

I have a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son and since having them my outlook on what I spend my time on has completely changed. Every hour that I spend at work should be something that benefits them in the future. I want to look them in the eye and say when I’m gone I’m building a world that is different from the one I grew up in. This is why I am also on the board of PowerCell Sweden because I feel I can add value here and help this part of the hydrogen value chain accelerate too. 

I also believe it is important to have role models. Both of my parents were doctors but my mother also showed me that it is possible to be there for your family, have an interesting career and do something good for other people. This is something that I particularly want to show my daughter too. 

Opening the door to equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background is really important to me. Our management team is now 50% female and 50% male. It is so important to have diversity on the agenda when you are hiring because, if not, in this type of business you could end up with 80 - 90% men.

The benefits that a diverse team brings are so unique. It is not just about gender diversity but diversity in terms of age, nationality and culture. Of course, it can be harder to lead a team like that but when you do it successfully true magic can really happen. 

We have diversity as a core element of building this company and so far it has been really successful. I would say we have had the most challenge in the construction team, so any woman in construction or who would like to work in construction, please get in touch. I am a true believer that gender equality can add new dimensions to our thinking and decision-making. 

When we’re talking about the steel industry, we tend to think of recruiting engineers and obviously, we do need the best engineers but we also need the best marketers, the best accountants, the best lawyers, etc! This is a really difficult project and the journey we are on so we really do need the best people to help us change the world.

Enjoyed this article? Listen to the full podcast here and connect with Kajsa to follow H2 Green Steel’s mission to decarbonise the steel sector.