Australian miner BHP Billiton has announced that it has partnered with Australia-based miner Rio Tinto and Australian steelmaker BlueScope Steel to accelerate the decarbonization of steelmaking. The companies have agreed to jointly investigate the development of the country’s first ironmaking electric smelting furnace (ESF) pilot plant.
The collaboration aims to demonstrate that production of molten iron from Pilbara iron ores is feasible using renewable power when combined with direct reduced iron process technology. If successful, it could help open a potential pathway to near-zero greenhouse gas emission-intensity operations for steelmakers that rely on Australian iron ore.
The parties will assess several locations in the country for the proposed facility, and will consider factors like supporting infrastructure, available workforce, access to target industry and supply chain partners, and suitability for operational trials. If the pre-feasibility study work program, which is expected to be concluded at the end of the year, is approved, the pilot facility could be commissioned as early as 2027.