Even free money was not enough for hydrogen steel
ArcelorMittal put its European hydrogen plans on hold and turned down €1.3 billion. The missing piece is a buyer prepared to pay the premium.
By Carbon3 team1 min read

ArcelorMittal put its European hydrogen-steel plans on hold across four sites and turned down a €1.3 billion German subsidy, saying power costs were too high and green hydrogen was not yet a workable fuel.
What it means: even free government money was not enough to make the numbers work. The piece still missing is a buyer prepared to pay the premium, which is the gap Carbon3 helps bridge:
- Spreading costs among the value chain partners.
- Sharing Scope 3 reduction benefits among investors.
- A simple, global, flexible marketplace platform.
The cost gets spread across value-chain partners instead of landing on one balance sheet, and the Scope 3 reduction is shared among the investors funding it, each taking the slice that fits their risk appetite.
Learn more in our 2026 Iron & Steel Report linkedin.com
Originally published on LinkedIn, 4 June 2026.
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