DiscoverThe Hydrogen PodcastCan Hydrogen Decarbonize Steel—Profitably? Utility Global’s Parker Meeks Has The ANSWER!
Can Hydrogen Decarbonize Steel—Profitably? Utility Global’s Parker Meeks Has The ANSWER!

Can Hydrogen Decarbonize Steel—Profitably? Utility Global’s Parker Meeks Has The ANSWER!

Update: 2025-09-04
Share

Description

Hydrogen just took a real step forward in steel. Utility Global and ArcelorMittal Brazil are collaborating on a first-of-its-kind commercial project at the Juiz de Fora plant: taking blast-furnace gas straight into Utility’s H2Gen reactor to produce hydrogen and concentrate CO₂—inside an existing steelmaking footprint.

In this episode, host Paul Rodden talks with Parker Meeks, President & CEO of Utility Global, about:

  • Why steel is so hard to decarbonize—and why retrofits matter
  • How H2Gen handles variable, dilute blast-furnace gas and still delivers H₂
  • The jump from ~18% CO₂ in off-gas to ~70% CO₂ at a single capture point
  • Modular scaling from 3–15 tpd to 60–250+ tpd
  • Economics (targeting sub-$3/kg H₂ at scale), supply chains, and policy risk
  • What this milestone signals for heavy industry and global hydrogen markets

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of energy, innovation, and economics.
🔗 Press release link will be in the show notes.
👤 Guest: Parker Meeks, Utility Global (previously led major energy-transition efforts across industry).
👤 Host: Paul Rodden, The Hydrogen Podcast — the place for grounded hydrogen finance & strategy.

Chapters (placeholder times—update after upload):
00:00 Intro & why this project matters
01:05 Steel’s decarb challenge (blast furnaces & realities)
03:20 The Brazil project: scope, site, and partners
05:10 Flare gas → hydrogen: footprint & uniqueness
06:45 H2Gen explained (reactor, cells, steam electrolysis)
09:00 Handling variable blast-furnace gas (turn-down / hot-standby)
11:10 From ~18% to ~70% CO₂: enabling lower-cost capture
13:05 Modular scale: 3–15 tpd → 60–250+ tpd
15:30 Economics & supply chain (sub-$3/kg target, no “unobtanium”)
18:00 Why Brazil? Signals for LatAm & Asia (JP/KR/IN)
20:10 Roadmap: steel, then biogas-to-mobility projects
22:00 Risks, tariffs, and doing it without subsidies
24:10 Investor takeaway: from concept to competitive reality
25:30 Closing & where this goes next

CTA: If this helped, please Subscribe, tap Like, and share with a colleague in steel or heavy industry.

Disclaimer: This content is for information only, not investment advice.

Support the show

Comments 
loading
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Can Hydrogen Decarbonize Steel—Profitably? Utility Global’s Parker Meeks Has The ANSWER!

Can Hydrogen Decarbonize Steel—Profitably? Utility Global’s Parker Meeks Has The ANSWER!

Paul Rodden