In a significant leap toward greener steelmaking, Tata Steel, in collaboration with PyroGenesis Canada Inc., has successfully commissioned the world’s first coke-oven gas (COG) valorisation and hydrogen production plant at its Kalinganagar facility in Odisha. The project marks a breakthrough in industrial gas recovery and hydrogen integration into steel manufacturing.
The state-of-the-art plant, valued at ₹9.3 billion (US $9.3 million), has been designed to process 32,000 cubic meters of coke-oven gas per hour, converting it into 620 m³/hr of ultra-pure hydrogen (99.999 per cent). The clean hydrogen generated will be used within Tata Steel’s operations, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and significantly lowering carbon emissions associated with conventional blast furnace steelmaking.
COG valorisation is a process that captures and upgrades the byproduct gases emitted during coke production-an essential step in steelmaking-into valuable, reusable energy sources. The plant not only curbs waste but also advances Tata Steel’s long-term sustainability goals by enabling decarbonisation and circular use of industrial gases.
According to Hydrocarbon Processing, this project is a global first in operational scale and showcases how steelmakers can pivot to low-emission production technologies. Reports highlighted PyroGenesis’ contribution, which included advanced plasma-based gas cleaning systems tailored for high-throughput hydrogen generation.
This development comes at a time when the steel industry is under increasing pressure to align with climate goals and transition to greener alternatives. Tata Steel’s initiative is expected to set a global benchmark for hydrogen-based solutions in heavy industry and inspire similar deployments across steel plants worldwide.
