A CONSORTIUM of some of Western Australia’s biggest players in the iron-ore industry will launch the nation’s largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace at Kwinana making the state a world leader in reducing carbon emissions.
WA is the world’s largest single exporter of iron ore into the global market and with the steel industry generating about 8% of global carbon emissions Premier Roger Cook said WA could play a leading role in reducing emissions from steel.
The NeoSmelt consortium backed by a $75 million investment from the state government to support the pilot facility is a partnership with BlueScope, BHP, Rio Tinto and Woodside.
BHP Western Australia Iron Ore Asset President Tim Day said in a government media release that they were well on their way to bringing the cutting-edge technology to life in Western Australia.
“A successful pilot plant of this scale would be a huge achievement as we work with our partners, here and around the world, to help fast-track near zero emission pathways for steelmakers using Pilbara ores,” Mr Day said.
“These are the Pilbara ores that power this nation’s economy, so getting it right would be a major step forward in setting up WA and Australia to be an important part of a low greenhouse gas emission future.”
The NeoSmelt project will test turning Pilbara iron ore into near-zero emission iron.
The media release claims the project will position WA as a world-leader in low-emissions iron ore processing, and is part of the government’s plan to create the jobs of the future and set up WA’s economy for the long term.
It will test the technology to produce iron without metallurgical coal and slash emissions from the steelmaking process.
It will take iron ore from the Pilbara and use renewable energy to produce molten iron, which is used to produce steel.
Technology tested at the NeoSmelt pilot plant represents one of the strongest prospective pathways for decarbonised processing Pilbara iron ore – putting the world on the pathway to producing near-zero emission steel.
The release said the decision to locate the project in Kwinana follows extensive assessment of options around Australia, and recognised Kwinana’s important role as one of the nation’s premier industrial areas for green industries.
Pre-feasibility works are expected to conclude in March next year, with a final investment decision in 2026 and the plant potentially commissioned in 2028.
