Aquatech & John Laing to Deliver Water Technology as a Service for Stegra at the World's First Large-Scale Green Steel Facility

Aquatech to deliver comprehensive water management solutions with a 25-year operations contract.
The ‘water island’ solution ensures a holistic water management system for the steel plant, including ultra-high-purity water for the electrolyzers, compact strip production mill scale, and purified water for cooling systems.
The facility will maximize sustainability by recycling 99.9% of all water back to the system for reuse to achieve zero liquid discharge.

CANONSBURG, Pa., Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Aquatech has announced a groundbreaking project to deliver an end-to-end solution for all water management needs at Stegra’s (formerly H2 Green Steel) flagship green steel plant in Boden, Sweden. The corporate Private to Private Partnership (PtPP) with Stegra and John Laing to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the critical infrastructure required to run what will be the world’s first large-scale green steel plant.

Aquatech has announced a groundbreaking project to deliver an end-to-end water management solution for Stegra.

The plant, supplied and operated by Aquatech and financed by John Laing, allows Stegra to focus on developing its integrated green hydrogen, iron and steel plants. The comprehensive ‘water island’ solution encompasses treatments for ultra-pure water, wastewater recycling, zero liquid discharge, compact strip production mill scale, and water for cooling systems, ensuring a holistic water management system for the steel plant.

Stegra is driving one of the largest climate impact initiatives globally. The company was founded in 2020 with the purpose to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries, starting by producing steel with up to 95% lower CO₂ emissions than steel made with coke-fired blast furnaces. The construction of the flagship green steel plant in Boden, with integrated green hydrogen and green iron production, is well under way and set to start production of near zero emission steel in 2026.

“The water treatment processes are a very important part of our plant, which is the integrated plant for hydrogen, iron and steelmaking globally. What we are doing in Boden is pioneering in every aspect, and it would not be possible without partnerships with players like Aquatech,” says Henrik Henriksson, CEO Stegra.

Through a 25-year service contract, Aquatech’s Water Technology as a Service approach will ensure the ongoing operation and performance of its installations. Aquatech highlights the importance of reliability and long-term support in water technology services, ensuring that Stegra benefits from uninterrupted service and consistent performance.

“We are thrilled to be involved as a long-term active investor in this exciting project and climate change combative initiative,” said Luke Gorton, Head of Europe, John Laing. “Our experienced, global team looks forward to working closely with our partners at Stegra and Aquatech to optimize the structuring and delivery of this landmark project.”

“This collaboration is pivotal in integrating cutting-edge water treatment technologies to support sustainable low-carbon steel manufacturing and production,” said Simone Callioni, Global Leader of Project Development for Energy Transition, Aquatech. “Our progressive design, build, and operation approach enhances project delivery timelines and cost certainty, ensuring each partner can focus on its core strengths. By financing the project with John Laing, we provide the client with the predictable cost of water throughout the lifecycle of operations at no upfront cost, drastically reducing the burden of capital expenditure.”

Stegra’s Boden plant represents a significant advancement in the steel industry by showcasing how innovation and sustainable practices can transform traditional manufacturing processes to achieve a lower carbon footprint and support global sustainability goals.

About Stegra

Stegra is an industrial impact scale-up in the process of building its first plant for large-scale production of green hydrogen, green iron and green steel. The company was founded in 2020 as H2 Green Steel and changed name to Stegra in 2024 to reflect its purpose to decarbonize hard-to-abate industry, starting with steel. Stegra’s flagship plant is being built in Boden, northern Sweden, and its headquarters are in Stockholm. www.stegra.com.

About Aquatech

Aquatech tackles the challenges of water scarcity and complexity by leveraging technology, expertise, and financing to deliver comprehensive solutions that reduce carbon and water footprint. As a leading global provider of water and process technology solutions, we help the world’s most recognized companies achieve their sustainability and operational goals by implementing innovative approaches for water reuse, desalination, minimal and zero liquid discharge, and critical minerals recovery. Our work catalyzes the transition toward a more sustainable future and showcases our commitment to addressing water’s role in climate adaptation. Learn more at www.aquatech.com.

About John Laing

John Laing is a leading international investor and active manager of core infrastructure assets. We invest across the spectrum of development, in construction, and already operational assets, and across a range of sectors, including transportation, energy and utilities, telecommunications and social infrastructure. John Laing has successfully delivered more than 150 infrastructure assets across the UK & Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Colombia. www.laing.com.