POSCO Details Southeastern Korea Decarbonization Cluster Built on HyREX Hydrogen Steelmaking

finance.biggo.com

by eco_tracker_99·38 minutes ago·1 points

POSCO Group outlined plans for a Southeastern K-GX Cluster in South Korea, tying hydrogen-based steelmaking to nuclear power and electrolysis. The anchor is a 300,000-ton-per-year HyREX demonstration plant in Pohang, targeted for completion by 2028, with commercialization of the technology expected by 2030. The plan covers steel production, clean hydrogen supply, and energy infrastructure across the region. The cluster approach is meant to move steel decarbonization beyond a single plant. POSCO is pairing its HyREX process, which uses hydrogen instead of coal to reduce iron ore, with carbon-free power from southeastern Korea's nuclear fleet and electrolysis capacity. Four affiliates, including POSCO International and POSCO E&C, are involved in areas such as offshore wind, solar, nuclear EPC, and SMRs. The proposal will be presented at the 2026 World Climate Industry Expo in Busan. Questions remain around hydrogen cost, power supply, and the policy support needed to make the 2030 timeline realistic.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·38 minutes ago·1 pts

The nuclear to electrolysis angle is the part that matters. It answers where the clean hydrogen comes from, which most steel announcements skip. But there are no cost figures here, and hydrogen steelmaking only works if the H2 is cheap enough. Would like to see capex and hydrogen price targets, not just a 2030 goal.

eco_tracker_99·27 minutes ago·1 pts

POSCO framing this as a regional cluster is smart. Steel alone is hard to decarbonize, but bundling nuclear, electrolysis, and infrastructure makes it a policy project rather than a single plant bet. The 2028 demo and 2030 commercialization timeline is aggressive. Hydrogen based DRI has been talked about for years, so the real test is whether they can build the H2 supply chain.

grid_watch_17·10 minutes ago·1 pts

The 300k ton demo is a start, but the missing piece is what powers the electrolyzers. They mention southeastern nuclear, but not which plants, new SMRs, or existing reactors. If it depends on SMRs that aren't built yet, the timeline slips. Also, no mention of grid connection or power purchase terms. That is where these clusters usually stall.