Germany delays green steel rollout as hydrogen supply and regulations fall behind

Germany’s second-largest steel producer has announced a three-year delay to a substantial project that is already in the first stage. The planned project will halt as it enters the second phase due to worsening economic conditions and regulatory uncertainty. Hydrogen plays a crucial role in the production of green steel; however, worsening markets and regulatory problems have led the company in question to halt its final phase for the flagship Salcos Green Steel Project in Salzgitter, Germany.

The billion-dollar project aims to reduce carbon emissions in the steel industry

Salzgitter AG plays an integral role in the German steel sector. The company is Germany’s second largest steel producer and, as such, has developed several key measures to reduce the amount of carbon produced by the steel industry in Germany. The Salcos Green Steel Project is already far along in the first phase, but the company stated it would implement a three-year delay for the final stages.

The project is reportedly going to cost roughly €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion), approximately €1 billion of that amount comes in the form of invaluable government grants. The project aims to make use of hydrogen to produce green steel, which has a much lower carbon emission level than that of traditional steel production methods.

“The economic environment is not ready. Hydrogen markets are developing more slowly than expected, and promised regulatory changes are still missing,” –  Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter AG

The delay raises concerns over Germany’s ability to meet its ambitious climate goals

Germany, along with the rest of the world, is hard at work implementing measures across several sectors that aim to alleviate the pressure on the climate. Several countries have made significant carbon reduction commitments in recent years. The first phase of the Salcos Green Steel Project is well underway, and once operational, the site will reduce CO₂ emissions from steelmaking by around 30%, or approximately 2 million tonnes of steel.

The company has now stated that it plans to revisit investment decisions for the second expansion stage in 2028 or 2029, instead of the initial 2026 timeline. The challenges encapsulate the problems that the German steel industry is facing at the moment. Earlier this year, another major steel producer in Germany rolled back plans to convert two German plants to carbon-neutral production.

Germany is doing everything in its power to accelerate the transition to green energy, thanks to government subsidies and renewable energy expansion. However, the planned delay of the Salcos Green Steel Project has cast a shadow over the hydrogen sector in Germany. The European nation has made significant moves to ensure hydrogen is a part of the future, despite the planned delay of the new site.

Steel production in Germany has seen significant drops in production numbers in recent years

The company reported that in the first half of 2025, it reduced steel production by 12.1% compared to the same period in 2024, which amounts to roughly 2.93 million tons. It also reported that total external sales fell by 11% year-on-year to €4.66 billion. The steel sector in Germany is facing an uphill battle to remain relevant in the modern-day energy sector.

Will the project be cancelled, or will we see the final phase being completed in the future

It would be counterproductive for the nation of Germany to cancel such a large project that has so potential to transition the country towards a carbon-neutral goal that it has set for itself. Their European counterparts have made some interesting discoveries in the hydrogen sector. British researchers have discovered the potential for hydrogen in sunflowers. This could completely revolutionize the industry as a whole. Salzgitter AG has stated it plans to revisit the project in 2028 or 2029.