NeoSmelt, a consortium of leading resources, energy and manufacturing companies working together on ways to produce lower-emissions steel from Pilbara iron ore, welcomes Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) support for its planned Western Australian pilot plant.
NeoSmelt plans to develop Australia’s major ironmaking electric smelting furnace2 (ESF) pilot plant at the Kwinana Industrial Area, south of Perth, to demonstrate a method to produce lower-carbon emissions molten iron from Western Australian iron ore.
ARENA has committed AUD 19.8M to support a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the NeoSmelt project, which aims to prove Pilbara iron ore can be used to produce lower-carbon3 iron using a direct reduced iron – electric smelting furnace (DRI-ESF) pathway.
The project has now entered the feasibility phase. The feasibility study will help inform a final investment decision, expected in 2026.
If approved, operations at the NeoSmelt pilot plant, which is expected to produce 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of molten iron a year, are planned to begin in 2028.