Google Agrees to Buy Certificates From Stegra’s Green Hydrogen Steel Plant
Google agreed on September 17, 2026 to buy certificates for up to 91,000 tonnes of Stegra’s green hydrogen steel, cutting emissions up to 95%.
Photo by Willians Huerta on Pexels
Google said on September 17, 2026 that it has agreed to purchase environmental attribute certificates (EACs) for up to 91,000 metric tons of steel from Stegra’s planned green hydrogen steel plant in Boden, Sweden, backing what the companies describe as the world’s first large-scale, near-zero emissions steel facility. The Google Stegra green hydrogen steel agreement covers the plant’s first year of production, with Google saying it aims to add more volume over the length of the deal, according to a post on Google’s official blog by Ben Townsend, head of infrastructure strategy and sustainability, and Jenna Stauffer, head of strategic priorities for climate operations.
Stegra’s 740 MW facility in Boden will use renewable electricity to generate green hydrogen, then react that hydrogen with iron ore to produce iron without coal, a process the company estimates can cut emissions by up to 95% compared with conventional blast-furnace steelmaking, Google said. The steel is designed to meet the International Energy Agency’s definition for near-zero emissions steel production. Hydrogen Insight independently reported the same 91,000-tonne certificate volume and the plant’s 740 MW capacity, corroborating Google’s figures.
Why Google is buying certificates, not steel directly
Under the agreement, Google receives environmental attribute certificates tied to a portion of Stegra’s output rather than taking delivery of the steel itself; Stegra continues to sell the physical metal into the European market as a standard product. Companies purchase EACs to count emissions reductions toward their own sustainability targets while helping defray the higher costs of early-stage, low-carbon production methods, according to Google’s blog post. Google said the purchase is intended to help scale the technology and lower the carbon footprint of its own construction activity, estimating the approach could cut embodied carbon emissions from data center infrastructure by up to 40%. In 2025, Google said it integrated low-carbon concrete, steel or a combination of both into more than 20 construction projects.
Google framed the deal as part of a wider push through the Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform, a coalition working to bring more low-carbon building materials to market. “We’re partnering with Stegra to help bring the world’s first large-scale, green hydrogen-based, near-zero emissions steel plant online,” the company wrote.
Deal at a glance
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Plant location | Boden, Sweden |
| Plant capacity | 740 MW |
| Certificate volume | Up to 91,000 metric tons (year 1) |
| Emissions cut vs. blast furnace | Up to 95% |
| Standard used | IEA definition of near-zero emissions steel |
| Google’s estimated data center benefit | Up to 40% lower embodied carbon in construction |
| Prior Google low-carbon material use | 20+ construction projects in 2025 |
Source: Google (The Keyword) and Hydrogen Insight, September 17, 2026.
The deal extends Google’s pattern of pairing data center growth with clean-energy and low-carbon-material purchases that Winss Solutions has tracked, including the company’s move to break ground on the Steel River Energy Center solar and battery storage project in Arkansas with Cypress Creek Energy and its backing of zinc battery storage paired with solar at a former West Virginia coal mine. It also fits a broader industry trend Winss Solutions has covered in explaining the energy and water footprint of AI data centers, as large technology companies seek lower-carbon inputs, from power to building materials, to offset the resource demands of AI infrastructure.
Background
Stegra, formerly known as H2 Green Steel, is a Swedish company building what it describes as the world’s first large-scale plant to produce steel using green hydrogen instead of coal-based blast furnaces. The Boden facility is designed to use renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen, which then reduces iron ore to iron without the direct carbon emissions of traditional ironmaking. The global steel industry accounts for a large share of industrial carbon emissions, and hydrogen-based direct reduction is one of the leading technologies proposed to decarbonize the sector at scale. Google’s purchase of environmental attribute certificates, rather than a direct offtake of physical steel, reflects an emerging financing model that early-stage green-materials producers are using to secure revenue and de-risk investment before full commercial-scale production ramps up. The September 17, 2026 agreement adds Google to a small group of corporate buyers, working through initiatives such as the Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform, that are using certificate purchases to help fund the first generation of near-zero emissions steel plants.
Sources: Google (The Keyword); Hydrogen Insight; Canary Media
Featured image: photo by Willians Huerta on Pexels (free Pexels license).
Become a Sponsor
Our website is the heart of the mission of WINSS – it’s where we share updates, publish research, highlight community impact, and connect with supporters around the world. To keep this essential platform running, updated, and accessible, we rely on the generosity of you, who believe in our work.
We offer the option to sponsor monthly, or just once choosing the amount of your choice. If you run a company, please contact us via info@winssolutions.org.
I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
